tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51989655073060790942024-03-22T18:09:13.343-07:00Rotten PulpOnly the finest sick filth, distilled and decanted.Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13576384742168685922noreply@blogger.comBlogger138125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5198965507306079094.post-68595412635953928162024-03-22T18:07:00.000-07:002024-03-22T18:08:21.821-07:00The Thief, The Witch, The Toad and the Mushroom is now live!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzhAjNlHrRcyS_kx6cBElS4W7MuJ7CcQDdFVXFHxo7bNCVwE-W_7T6DDkYKYkjtsYhyvOOTS4xavqqDhJyJ2DENVYwhyQFy58qr7ca5yowH2ZOGAPDhTGgWudxYcHC8aKHTw7Wb5KSnyePynO6ZzilOCJIkBrK2RHGffZ840T3arK0RVmwKjY9K3XUho4/s1920/frame-6.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzhAjNlHrRcyS_kx6cBElS4W7MuJ7CcQDdFVXFHxo7bNCVwE-W_7T6DDkYKYkjtsYhyvOOTS4xavqqDhJyJ2DENVYwhyQFy58qr7ca5yowH2ZOGAPDhTGgWudxYcHC8aKHTw7Wb5KSnyePynO6ZzilOCJIkBrK2RHGffZ840T3arK0RVmwKjY9K3XUho4/w400-h225/frame-6.png" width="400" /></a></div><span color="var(--primary-text)" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem;">My videogame is now finally live, and it's free!</span></p></span><p></p><p><span color="var(--primary-text)" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It's a charming but mysterious visual novel inspired by my love of folk tales and old choose-your-own-adventure books. I've been working on it for a bit over 3 years now so I couldn't be more excited to see it launched. You can play it on Steam, or Itch.io:</span></p><p><iframe frameborder="0" height="190" src="https://store.steampowered.com/widget/2233770/" width="590"></iframe></p><p>
<iframe frameborder="0" height="167" src="https://itch.io/embed/1219794" width="552"><a href="https://jackmcnamee.itch.io/lacuna">The Thief, the Witch, the Toad and the Mushroom by JackMcNamee</a></iframe>
<br /></p><p><span color="var(--primary-text)" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Give it a try, and I'd love to hear any feedback or a review if you play it!</span></p>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13576384742168685922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5198965507306079094.post-12132307076286567992024-02-20T00:21:00.000-08:002024-02-20T00:21:56.307-08:00My game is launching March 23rd!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhabGHZ0EGthIFQvRWa-5azVfY9x8PVZ7fPe_j4CYIoEjVJpRO_ER6oOkhuOz5L1Uv7qokRjrMp7osm3lAsbn8JUqY2Ft9pcN2nCK6estsiFi-bj5p4IC945-ey9Vuc3ehD_BfvegSMGVJgPNpnHKNd6BvMHrZBfEdDA7uzPhk6OED8ttlJtb6VPMWOX-s/s1920/facebook-Event-large.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhabGHZ0EGthIFQvRWa-5azVfY9x8PVZ7fPe_j4CYIoEjVJpRO_ER6oOkhuOz5L1Uv7qokRjrMp7osm3lAsbn8JUqY2Ft9pcN2nCK6estsiFi-bj5p4IC945-ey9Vuc3ehD_BfvegSMGVJgPNpnHKNd6BvMHrZBfEdDA7uzPhk6OED8ttlJtb6VPMWOX-s/w400-h225/facebook-Event-large.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><b>The Thief, the Witch, the Toad and the Mushroom</b> is a cosy but mysterious visual novel inspired by my love of folk tales and old choose-your-own-adventure books. It's been a long time coming so I'm thrilled to say that it's launching March 23rd! You can wishlist it on steam here:</p><p><iframe frameborder="0" height="190" src="https://store.steampowered.com/widget/2233770/" width="590"></iframe><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I can't wait for it to actually be a thing that exists in the world. See you on the other side.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Oavu3rGdI80" width="320" youtube-src-id="Oavu3rGdI80"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh-oBDF4M98gygDPz7kDN68QGJ7Fwh66dIDoUN5uezMZGVocMBTX7ucD2sASETYODi_MFiPHQ5tae117K_M85ERlPUhc0q3Uc3kSDKGmYXiWXw-QIMfmbgYXkEhgsB6k0sZo6kwnrSD4jkOUZ8q06PUNzCjDtSuizCgxaZvaFrRFiNwgkrt5HnA0CgT3fk" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh-oBDF4M98gygDPz7kDN68QGJ7Fwh66dIDoUN5uezMZGVocMBTX7ucD2sASETYODi_MFiPHQ5tae117K_M85ERlPUhc0q3Uc3kSDKGmYXiWXw-QIMfmbgYXkEhgsB6k0sZo6kwnrSD4jkOUZ8q06PUNzCjDtSuizCgxaZvaFrRFiNwgkrt5HnA0CgT3fk=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></div></div>
Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13576384742168685922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5198965507306079094.post-62650708495044849912024-02-02T16:24:00.000-08:002024-02-02T16:28:35.085-08:00This Haunted Land - Version 0.1<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjAZzSUamCbpyphGCoROBsj1cYwf837dsVMoAEkOT2OcdA0fQd9etoVANglDbu4EdYpRxIG3D6uV18rYqz-lqvFkEZmA96qsQttlm0wTHpKvyaZSGJYN_pzIPUIRsATBSE4C6KCBXW0FQAsahhwN1OjNm8eSiPPqHRqGsOTq5NlZEq6dThY1MaAyBoi1V4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="564" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjAZzSUamCbpyphGCoROBsj1cYwf837dsVMoAEkOT2OcdA0fQd9etoVANglDbu4EdYpRxIG3D6uV18rYqz-lqvFkEZmA96qsQttlm0wTHpKvyaZSGJYN_pzIPUIRsATBSE4C6KCBXW0FQAsahhwN1OjNm8eSiPPqHRqGsOTq5NlZEq6dThY1MaAyBoi1V4=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>The Boy and the Heron, Studio Ghibli</i></div><br />Here is the playtest version of my game about where you play tiny imps, goblins, bugaboos, pixies, and sprites who venture out to wreak chaos upon mankind. Click on the image below to get the <a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1zqeO1jRPIgwI34-JGmk1PaTD6_qsYnZZ?usp=sharing">rules and character sheet</a>.<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1zqeO1jRPIgwI34-JGmk1PaTD6_qsYnZZ?usp=sharing" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1136" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw7Osx6_zIoRzcpZKIrTq3sFxnNmqw4YcqfDNXyOa4HTvimv8x0E0oWqp5xbgkmENYym-IWdNtpnjpo3Lz3UEoolw2uyiJhLOnBf6kkU2hINn2cPS4w4fvDdgNorYeONqm33eyYB7O-171MOtL-npEHXPGRHBM3vMYoNUPt9A0rTtARHFuRatybtPpDWg/w400-h285/charsheet.png" width="400" /></a></div><p>You can read <a href="https://rottenpulp.blogspot.com/2022/10/this-haunted-land.html">this post</a> to get an idea of what this game is about. Basically, the game is focused on your inventory, like Mausritter or Knave. Your character is defined by the items they carry - if you want to be a thief, you would carry thieves tools. A wizard would carry spells, a fighter carries weapons and shields, etc. </p><p>The twist is that your "Items" can be intangible objects like Fears, Dreams, Stolen Youth, Lost Beauty, or The Howl of a Wolf. You are fae creatures, so you can reach right into someone's head and steal their strength, their courage, their memories. Instead of carrying thieves tools, you might steal the memories of a Master Thief or a patch of the night sky to hide yourself with.</p><p>These items define what your character can do. And each one is a little sentient: They have their own goals and needs, and they can rebel and riot against you if they are mistreated. The game is about managing this chaotic hoard while having fae adventures as a little gremlin creature.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAPDSfcWcKwhPKKdH-Eu4T8SRC3US45s2B56jXRPhdYMP7mSrpAMVQWJQADsXZuGT_k_8L7lJzOfhCVrAjVrFtFnbXqugK0Hzmhq7erWETjbD1K8jhSKl3b8QqVILqy6HLp2pdynhswr1uZSrZ7H3fXqeS8TQvcKCZVKaaaDBCCnpO3L2t9RLodwh5yBQ/s797/c6917727d5e27c7b8b2cbe39f63d3bcd.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="564" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAPDSfcWcKwhPKKdH-Eu4T8SRC3US45s2B56jXRPhdYMP7mSrpAMVQWJQADsXZuGT_k_8L7lJzOfhCVrAjVrFtFnbXqugK0Hzmhq7erWETjbD1K8jhSKl3b8QqVILqy6HLp2pdynhswr1uZSrZ7H3fXqeS8TQvcKCZVKaaaDBCCnpO3L2t9RLodwh5yBQ/w283-h400/c6917727d5e27c7b8b2cbe39f63d3bcd.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="text-align: start;">Ulla Thynell (Finnish, b. 1982) Untitled, 2021 Watercolor and alcohol ink on paper</i></td><td class="tr-caption"><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>This version is very much a work in progress, and after playtesting it there's a lot of things I want to change and update. Here's some of the improvements I'm planning for future versions:</p><p></p><ul><li><b>Mortal forms:</b> At the moment, you only get the basic Sprite Form. In future versions, each character will get a mortal form by default as well. This can be an animal, a small child, a plant, etc - but something that lets them blend in with mortal society and mess with humans.</li><li><b>Improved starting items: </b>The current starting items are quite simple and D&Dish - you'll notice that everyone gets a weapon. I want to improve this and make your starting items much more baroque and fae-like. You might start with a deceptively deep puddle. A cat's curiosity. A shadow. A bag of bones. I also want to integrate this better so that there's less tables to roll on at the start.</li><li><b>Boosted Sentience: </b>The intent is that all your items are alive. They have their own desires that they try to work through you. Even if you just have a mundane item like a sewing needle, it's a living sewing needle that can fly around and sew people's shoes together. I want to push this more and make it clearer in the text.</li><li><b>Strings attached: </b>I'm planning to overhaul and improve the guidelines for how you steal things from other people. How you reach in and steal a soldier's courage, a mother's love, a sage's wisdom, etc. </li><li><b>More stuff. </b>This is a basic version of the rules, so you only have a basic list of items and one form. The full version would have a huge range of different factions, forms and items. You're all shapeshifters, so one of the core methods of advancement would be to find different forms and learning to take the shape of a vampire, a skeleton, a ghost, etc, each with different abilities and powers. You'd go out into the world and earn forms and items by doing quests for different factions, or stealing them from those factions.</li></ul><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsxyFcAfwzMXXC_p2NMmll_SF5fZ02c0GMylFCxVn-etq1q603WPrk7xJSqR2aedbPrQchHgaBa2EQmMqLfoeabC4Dx3M__pLhIGhCXs5xG0ICdFQtC_Gkbgka6csBt6grZ4CI0ReR1sc52B5qRdwlPjxCQRARWNq2GMycuhYIoMGTe7LDMAZ4Zk7ut9A/s872/0a51e1a3f2ffad996311342d96265d00.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="872" data-original-width="564" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsxyFcAfwzMXXC_p2NMmll_SF5fZ02c0GMylFCxVn-etq1q603WPrk7xJSqR2aedbPrQchHgaBa2EQmMqLfoeabC4Dx3M__pLhIGhCXs5xG0ICdFQtC_Gkbgka6csBt6grZ4CI0ReR1sc52B5qRdwlPjxCQRARWNq2GMycuhYIoMGTe7LDMAZ4Zk7ut9A/w259-h400/0a51e1a3f2ffad996311342d96265d00.jpg" width="259" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://davidwyattillustration.wordpress.com/">David Wyatt</a><br /><br /></i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div>I'd love any feedback or thoughts you have on the rules so far! Let me know in the comments.</div><p></p></div>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13576384742168685922noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5198965507306079094.post-3258995649468116812024-01-27T20:24:00.000-08:002024-01-28T14:38:24.816-08:00ENTITY 10: INFLUENCERS<p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcj2sKjglT782tioeCyp0TQNtaUYNa12mYbjAuRNr-nBfzkQmgDK4FkKzJudGuZoprJ01TOiK8oesbj6irNY2iI0xnuxKs2vCgJukzN7RSK7PN1PPnXw_N9UahZO8Xnk7dOCGPDKPm90Pu6HvsahVbJBgIRGrGA_HjNgcayopivFjUcVH4Ku5qfq8Xd2c/s500/ciuws05cvmq61.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcj2sKjglT782tioeCyp0TQNtaUYNa12mYbjAuRNr-nBfzkQmgDK4FkKzJudGuZoprJ01TOiK8oesbj6irNY2iI0xnuxKs2vCgJukzN7RSK7PN1PPnXw_N9UahZO8Xnk7dOCGPDKPm90Pu6HvsahVbJBgIRGrGA_HjNgcayopivFjUcVH4Ku5qfq8Xd2c/w400-h300/ciuws05cvmq61.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Photo by Ronny Young</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Word of mouth is one of the most effective marketing techniques available today. In these difficult times, with consumers losing confidence in the world around them, traditional advertising has become less and less effective. The most powerful and effective messages come from relatable people who speak from a position of trust. That's why any marketing division worth its salt maintains a stable of Influencers. </div><div><br /></div><div>Influencers are lab-grown parasitic organisms which excrete eggs that are impossible to detect, except under a microscope. The domestic Coke™ supply [1] is laced with these tiny eggs. Each time you drink from the Coke™ supply, roll a d10. If it comes up as a 1, you have ingested an Influencer. </div><div><br /></div><div><a name='more'></a><div>When ingested, they lodge in the back of your throat and slowly grow inside your mouth. After 3 months, the Influencer will reach a sufficient size to sever the blood vessels in your tongue, devouring it and attaching itself to the remaining stub in your mouth. During this process, it releases you with a refreshing cocktail of Coke™ flavoured chemicals that numb your jaw and stop you from noticing anything. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>The process takes a few hours and is usually initated while the host is asleep. When you wake, you'll notice nothing except a lingering taste of Coke™ in your mouth. The process is complete. The influencer has full control of your speech.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQK5lz6mBckyRGo7sJWODrCmTCVmZj7LNFokSXc1ywpt417KP0zOdT2xR2Nf_kCX0UVWhM0HMiwcfJjkPPXUDJgOtHIMZoxvacKsteUgEKHAyL2gyuR_ncEIpkolYV3wu7FU11sbGWvS7zi2Dc1iskXu6a1oDsm8mf_G07CR55QbDTii54Muht6kIFXsM/s1063/Untitled-1.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="564" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQK5lz6mBckyRGo7sJWODrCmTCVmZj7LNFokSXc1ywpt417KP0zOdT2xR2Nf_kCX0UVWhM0HMiwcfJjkPPXUDJgOtHIMZoxvacKsteUgEKHAyL2gyuR_ncEIpkolYV3wu7FU11sbGWvS7zi2Dc1iskXu6a1oDsm8mf_G07CR55QbDTii54Muht6kIFXsM/w213-h400/Untitled-1.png" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A fully camoflagued Influencer. Notice the colouration.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The parasite has developed intricate camoflague that make it almost indistinguishable from the human tongue in look and feel. Most of the time, it will act exactly like your normal tongue. It will be as if nothing has changed. But every so often, you may find yourself saying things you didn't mean to say.</div><div><br /></div><div>Beverage Partners Worldwide sends transmissions to these organisms from their marketing cabal deep under the subway system, updating them daily with new branded messages from their network of business partners. You might find yourself casually mentioning the great taste of Subway™, or the inadvisability of forming a union.</div><div><br /></div><div>Even at this stage, many hosts still don't realise anything is wrong. Hearing your own voice saying something out of your own mouth is extremely persuasive. Research has shown that your conscious awareness of your own speech only occurs <b><u>after</u> </b>the words have come from your mouth - not before <span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Segoe UI, Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;">[2]. </span>You don't always know what you're saying. The majority of hosts are unable to detect that any substitutions have taken place. Slowly, their views change to match the words that come from their mouths.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>This customer marketing strategy focuses on retaining current clients, preventing buyers remorse, and soothing the minds of any potentially aggravated or confused consumers. These tactics help to improve customer retention, reduce churn, and boost customer loyalty, brand advocacy, and community participation. Experts estimate that roughly 20% of people in the US have an Influencer.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>If you ever attempt to act against Beverage Partners Worldwide or their associates, the parasite will turn on you. It can make you say anything it wants, or stop you from talking entirely. It is also capable of forcing you to ululate at a special frequency that will alert any BPW agents nearby, informing them that you are an aggravated customer who requires special attention. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4HPV-ScAFsiDvBZuBFl1Iip6npxwlTRsglpSM4Izq_06kS4vfvrZLJy8IucA0mUZcaMzZ5vfnBwkOmQsGNhfuiOmFchHDqAr-z2Evtcfs0C8e4o_XNdtACl8OO9jjMxCLhhpGgKus9VvzxtJjJBku_GhgfyZh8Cg_JUjVV7-VpURON-EuVRQw7SedoKE/s1369/1.-Ceratothoa.-famosa_Nico-Smit-1-1-1000x1369.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1369" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4HPV-ScAFsiDvBZuBFl1Iip6npxwlTRsglpSM4Izq_06kS4vfvrZLJy8IucA0mUZcaMzZ5vfnBwkOmQsGNhfuiOmFchHDqAr-z2Evtcfs0C8e4o_XNdtACl8OO9jjMxCLhhpGgKus9VvzxtJjJBku_GhgfyZh8Cg_JUjVV7-VpURON-EuVRQw7SedoKE/w293-h400/1.-Ceratothoa.-famosa_Nico-Smit-1-1-1000x1369.jpg" width="293" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>An uncamoflagued Influencer.</i></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Footnotes and References</span></h4><div><br /></div><div>[1] After years of lobbying by Beverage Partners Worldwide, the government recently initiated a program to replace all drinkable water in the country with the refreshing taste of Coca Cola™. The domestic water supply is now fully controlled by BPW, which supplies families across the country with 29.4 billion gallons of delicious Coke™ every day. Water can be purchased in bottled form for special occasions (also supplied by Beverage Partners Worldwide).</div><div><div><br /></div><div>[2] Lind, A., Hall, L., Breidegard, B., Balkenius, C., & Johansson, P. (2014). Speakers’ acceptance of real-time speech exchange indicates that we use auditory feedback to specify the meaning of what we say. Psychological Science, 25(6), 1198–1205. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797614529797">https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797614529797</a></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><h4><span style="font-size: medium;">Using Influencers in Play</span></h4></div><div><br /></div><div>This is another monster that toys with player agency in a strong way. As usual, make sure everyone at your table is comfortable with this kind of thing before you use it. If in doubt, I recommend you only use influencers on NPC's and never actually have a PC infected with one. </div><div><br /></div><div>NPC's may say things without realising it, or without meaning to. As the party goes through a town, they find everyone in town seems to say the same things. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>"Nice time to go to the water,"</i> they say. <i>"So hot today!"</i> <i>"Boy, that water sure looks beautiful."</i> "<i>Sure would be great to dive into that cold, blue water. It's so crisp." "Why, I could just live in that water."</i> <i>"So cold. So blue. So beautiful." </i></div><div><br /></div><div>If you ask the NPC's for more details about what they've said, they don't even remember saying it. If anyone enters the water, they will quickly become infected.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here are some examples of things you could use Influencers for:</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Influencers sneak out words to exchange information in code. They are manipulating people in order to destabilise the local community and organise a coup.</li><li>The host talks loudly in their sleep, confessing to crimes they did not commit. </li><li>A man is executed. As he falls from the rope, an Influencer crawls from his mouth. The locals kill it, but the community erupts into a fever of paranoia. A witch hunt begins. No-one knows who to trust. No-one will open their mouth.</li><li>Everyone in town seems to have the same opinions. The same patterns of speech. The same jokes. At night, the influencers crawl out to commune in a secret place underground. They are planning something.</li><li>The PC's have frequent phone contact with some important NPC's. They ring the PC's with messages, helpful notes, missions, etc. Over time, these NPC's are corrupted by Influencers with their own agenda.</li><li>The PC's have some secret or information they need to convey. Whenever they try to speak the secret, their words come out garbled. They slowly realise they have been infected. </li><li>A host develops a speech impediment. Unknown to them, this is actually a method for the influencer to communicate secret information to hostile entities whenever they speak. The Influencer uses this to give away the host's secrets.</li><li>The Influencer interferes with the host's spellcasting in subtle ways by very slightly altering the magic words. The spells will still mostly work as normal, but may have unintended or secret side-effects that work towards the influencer's goals. </li><li>The Influencer secretly interferes with charisma checks. The host gets a secret bonus when they're doing things it wants, and a secret penalty when they're doing things it doesn't want. </li><li>The Influencer ruins stealth checks by forcing the host to cough, sneeze or gasp loudly when they're trying to be stealthy (and do something it doesn't want them to do). </li></ol></div><div><h4><span style="font-size: medium;">Using influencers against PC's</span></h4></div><div><br /></div><div>If a PC is infected, they wake up feeling tired, with a strong taste of Coke™ in their mouth. (The parasite excretes it to cover up the tang of blood as the tongue is devoured). Their jaw may feel slightly numb. Their tongue (if they examine it) will seem grey and unhealthy, but otherwise normal. An expert will be able to tell what's happened, and the parasite will reveal itself if it is harmed. If they try to extract the parasite, it will dig in and release a coded signal, attracting any nearby influencers or BPW agents to activate and defend it. </div><div><br /></div><div>Once the parasite has dug in, you'll need surgical equipment and knowledge to extract it without damaging or even killing the host. The severed stump of the tongue, without the numbing and blood-thickening chemicles excreted by the parasite, will begin to bleed copiously. This can quickly lead to death if not treated by a professional. </div><div></div>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13576384742168685922noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5198965507306079094.post-40506159621343967992023-12-09T18:59:00.000-08:002023-12-09T19:07:46.906-08:0010 great ideas to steal from The Boy and the Heron<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEsJ23vx628tcVHLnpvGvBXDAkxQoWqBxnUYWFQpaE4UJRN3QJINJ1qHZXZ-n04NIAYr8HHqXy7XgaVqXieBKFrFMEsD6XlHyWvRBWSF2eTiYcY6exFSfOTfsoaTeco_KATY6lxfYA8XP-yMimWtbA5seETjG2s_MiUdHyHw_pTmhQvak-WA6a2YxCKKk/s1400/new-images-from-how-do-you-live-the-boy-and-the-heron-v0-l3yh2j5al3ib1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="986" data-original-width="1400" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEsJ23vx628tcVHLnpvGvBXDAkxQoWqBxnUYWFQpaE4UJRN3QJINJ1qHZXZ-n04NIAYr8HHqXy7XgaVqXieBKFrFMEsD6XlHyWvRBWSF2eTiYcY6exFSfOTfsoaTeco_KATY6lxfYA8XP-yMimWtbA5seETjG2s_MiUdHyHw_pTmhQvak-WA6a2YxCKKk/w400-h281/new-images-from-how-do-you-live-the-boy-and-the-heron-v0-l3yh2j5al3ib1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">This post will include spoilers from Studio Ghibli's latest movie, The Boy and the Heron. I just saw it, and the hypnotizing underworld dreamscape that takes over the last two thirds of the movie is a wonderful source of inspiration for RPG's. Here are some interesting ideas you could use to inspire your campaign at home.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggrgWx8duhbXtipb6a2mdm-kamJt-L8cERaCEkpj1cgkET5KFANyDy9FzGOv5E6TUt-nFj3gDN1ZAaVLF0eeeVzJ95FYG2rVTkpE8jjolBbapqTqx2tvORs1YqNDSJrx-luHB2JzuIqTRW486xS_P7zJg9R3rRPxmnGHVvbYktEw62xzGwWy_4Q-oeNTk/s1200/The-Boy-and-The-Heron-trailer-breakdown-What-to-expect-from-the-Movie-3.webp" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggrgWx8duhbXtipb6a2mdm-kamJt-L8cERaCEkpj1cgkET5KFANyDy9FzGOv5E6TUt-nFj3gDN1ZAaVLF0eeeVzJ95FYG2rVTkpE8jjolBbapqTqx2tvORs1YqNDSJrx-luHB2JzuIqTRW486xS_P7zJg9R3rRPxmnGHVvbYktEw62xzGwWy_4Q-oeNTk/w400-h225/The-Boy-and-The-Heron-trailer-breakdown-What-to-expect-from-the-Movie-3.webp" width="400" /></a></div></span><div><p></p><p></p><h3><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>The dungeon is a timeless place. <br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br />The dungeon stands outside space and time. Once you enter it, no matter when you went inside, you can meet anyone else who has ever entered. You may meet people who explored the dungeon a hundred years ago. Even people who are now long dead. </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">You remember a story where your late mother went missing for a year when she was a child - it turns out, she fell into the dungeon. You can find her here again, as a young woman. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Once you return to the real world, you lose all your memories and return to your life. (It's probably a good idea to make the PC's special in some way that makes them exempt from this rule). The dungeon has stood for timeless aeons, so you can find different people from all throughout history within. <br /></span><span><a name='more'></a></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJ51GmT8RYgXfDr_HYQofmA4t4wOvBT0cLir9CCI0ZzkDgOlv9H-cwTETNSg8QlJJD7Uf8bBlgTzvEF1Ews6LhxRdvsRulzMs4m-TyRPV7d900KhuITcenw79CH4EQHZnqgMDIYTBGoVLeN__i-9HAkdr0yqs9WCsc7ErbEZQb6SfukAl64aIV1Y_fSM/s1433/Screen-Shot-2023-09-07-at-1.17.25-PM.webp" style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="803" data-original-width="1433" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJ51GmT8RYgXfDr_HYQofmA4t4wOvBT0cLir9CCI0ZzkDgOlv9H-cwTETNSg8QlJJD7Uf8bBlgTzvEF1Ews6LhxRdvsRulzMs4m-TyRPV7d900KhuITcenw79CH4EQHZnqgMDIYTBGoVLeN__i-9HAkdr0yqs9WCsc7ErbEZQb6SfukAl64aIV1Y_fSM/w400-h224/Screen-Shot-2023-09-07-at-1.17.25-PM.webp" width="400" /></a></div><span><br /></span></li><li>The backstory. <br /><span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br />Many years ago, a meteor fell to earth. It was gigantic and had strange hollows all through its mass. The locals shunned it, until one man took an interest and built a tower around the rock. He grew more and more obsessed with the stone, spending long hours researching occult lore until many say he went mad. One day he simply disappeared, with the book he was reading still open. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: 400;">After his death, the locals explored the tower and discovered strange, dangerous tunnels underneath it, leading through the rock of the meteor and stretching far beneath the manor. The entrance was destroyed, and the manor lies abandoned. <br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Every so often, people go missing near the ruined tower. Some come back, but some are never seen again. <br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRS0k3lOUzvgxEsBU-6iuNGDvFBpgPq7gEyiIZnVLJLKz2ZHLc7Fb99yzDls-Bl-OiYs98FbLmzCrK8ZR48B_IkYCmtRBBvv_TqRG4Lmp2FdKzUy-uDmQalozq354vrpHJmqLExzvRFuz_-FU-tt1C2BsBESIbdqCeS1xY67LKm2CqnNBRq0QHxZenC-A/s564/ad28c79d8b8d3d4c4c7b3d3d08435b0d.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="564" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRS0k3lOUzvgxEsBU-6iuNGDvFBpgPq7gEyiIZnVLJLKz2ZHLc7Fb99yzDls-Bl-OiYs98FbLmzCrK8ZR48B_IkYCmtRBBvv_TqRG4Lmp2FdKzUy-uDmQalozq354vrpHJmqLExzvRFuz_-FU-tt1C2BsBESIbdqCeS1xY67LKm2CqnNBRq0QHxZenC-A/w400-h209/ad28c79d8b8d3d4c4c7b3d3d08435b0d.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></li><li>The Invitation. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Birds, fish, frogs, a strange force seems to animate the animals around the PC's with malign intelligence, driven by one beast in particular. When the beast finds them alone, it comes to them. "You are awaited," it croaks. The frogs multiply. The fish swarm. Streams of animals, more than seem possible, begin to fester and bubble out of the swamp. "Please, join us," they repeat. "You are awaited." </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">The party are hounded by these animals until they either obey the summons and begin the adventure, or kill the beast. <br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoAVHhOswr_HwnPBJXzjXxkXFy9MthVI9jTpQ8KqXnfe1y2qzMynp3D_BNmD0yD2aPwhlbBt5RBDzsGRZSAXWkC3crF3olNwd_eoSFwYkt9q03fOMr3gZhRLW2C7Vk_qcH_ZKc2q1urZqEd_GeJlvkax7byujO71yN3Qo4G1GckYCTgncU5M9kVFWZD9Q/s2048/F7b4ZoEWQAAMVm5.jpg" style="font-size: 18.72px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1104" data-original-width="2048" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoAVHhOswr_HwnPBJXzjXxkXFy9MthVI9jTpQ8KqXnfe1y2qzMynp3D_BNmD0yD2aPwhlbBt5RBDzsGRZSAXWkC3crF3olNwd_eoSFwYkt9q03fOMr3gZhRLW2C7Vk_qcH_ZKc2q1urZqEd_GeJlvkax7byujO71yN3Qo4G1GckYCTgncU5M9kVFWZD9Q/w400-h216/F7b4ZoEWQAAMVm5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></li><li>The Boss. <br /><span><br /><span style="font-weight: 400;">The creator and ruler of the dungeon is looking for a successor. The dungeon is their attempt at paradise. But the mould and bugs always creep in. No matter how hard they try, no matter how beautiful they try to make it, the dungeon always falls to chaos, decay, violence and terror.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: 400;">They are old now, and their death looms close. Their dream will die with them. They grow ever more desperate, reaching out and kidnapping people from the real world to try to find a true successor who can take their place and finally turn the dungeon into a perfect world. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: 400;">They might have kidnapped friends, family members or loved ones of the PC's. If the PC's reach the heart of the dungeon, they will have proven themselves worthy. The ruler will test the PC's as they venture deeper, and eventually try to convince them to become the successor.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMyLwZuy3lwqtKXGcaRq7d5cBHvxfGrwhVX0hCVp04NoW3VgDRUMY7E2XESFNEe7T0WvdTkq8Z-MM6BrUtaOMwfSmiGyscV_ROBAEonB5wy2me_u6wmL8GqVLnxS_9wFOhdtWfIod5PBsi3BlV3uy2EUzp_UMXeQhyW5nsecXRmorJtfgsqzVok5fJYB4/s736/27186e4751b57c5d41f27951269bd1e6.jpg" style="font-size: 18.72px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="736" data-original-width="736" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMyLwZuy3lwqtKXGcaRq7d5cBHvxfGrwhVX0hCVp04NoW3VgDRUMY7E2XESFNEe7T0WvdTkq8Z-MM6BrUtaOMwfSmiGyscV_ROBAEonB5wy2me_u6wmL8GqVLnxS_9wFOhdtWfIod5PBsi3BlV3uy2EUzp_UMXeQhyW5nsecXRmorJtfgsqzVok5fJYB4/s320/27186e4751b57c5d41f27951269bd1e6.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /><br /></span></div></span></li><li>Leaving the dungeon.<span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: 400;">The dungeon has many doors that lead to the outside world. These doors lead to different times throughout history. You could exit the dungeon 10, 20, 200 years in the past or the future.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: 400;">Once you open a door, you can see the outside world beyond it. You can even go out into that world, but you must always hold onto the handle. As soon as you let go of the door, you'll instantly lose it and never be able to find it again. You'll be trapped in that time forever.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: 400;">The PC's could think up clever ways to abuse this to find interesting shortcuts or explore other times.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9e2Sf8S-c4vHtT2tu7gGjxxxLOpCc3ub-0ROP_Vd0-44BuI6x6w9jd_8sRQkk9GSQvBuaAvGSYKqbQ0S-HDZsZ15hHOK4x4QMpzNfiFa2NClDEwI4Ihw20qNybu631IbXTiCDNbZ_9YYF53ShG6UYEwuxapFxJKzGaVxClnERI2mQCMJbzKDWDyaguwA/s864/d3b046a7c9e4203c5faa214fca550ac2.jpg" style="font-size: 18.72px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="564" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9e2Sf8S-c4vHtT2tu7gGjxxxLOpCc3ub-0ROP_Vd0-44BuI6x6w9jd_8sRQkk9GSQvBuaAvGSYKqbQ0S-HDZsZ15hHOK4x4QMpzNfiFa2NClDEwI4Ihw20qNybu631IbXTiCDNbZ_9YYF53ShG6UYEwuxapFxJKzGaVxClnERI2mQCMJbzKDWDyaguwA/w261-h400/d3b046a7c9e4203c5faa214fca550ac2.jpg" width="261" /></a><br /><br /></span></div></span></li><li>The Tower Blocks. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">In the heart of the dungeon is a miniature tower of blocks. This is a map of the dungeon. By moving and rearranging the blocks, the PC's can move the rooms of the dungeon and twist it to meet their needs. If the blocks are destroyed, the dungeon will fall apart in a great cataclysm, splitting and falling into the abyss of endless space beyond.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBfv56bSqzXP5792JqYlBHSpGc6ylHEQrERL1EqTX5a_gvVCl63DO7smDCRkjxZGPB1VOZx37BIIsN2jBy0_k_y2aq4aGDG7bhe93I19gZ4jFZISAbLOEPLP1Y93bYHyceZgeJNG182xE-0f2pzhp7R3KHf2cI4TnDQaViDZ7GBNViczzZGA6q_5S8R-A/s2042/F7b4ZoGX0AAaPN2.jpg" style="font-size: 18.72px; font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1102" data-original-width="2042" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBfv56bSqzXP5792JqYlBHSpGc6ylHEQrERL1EqTX5a_gvVCl63DO7smDCRkjxZGPB1VOZx37BIIsN2jBy0_k_y2aq4aGDG7bhe93I19gZ4jFZISAbLOEPLP1Y93bYHyceZgeJNG182xE-0f2pzhp7R3KHf2cI4TnDQaViDZ7GBNViczzZGA6q_5S8R-A/w400-h216/F7b4ZoGX0AAaPN2.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></li><li>Weapons. <br /><span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">In order to defeat a monster, you need to create a weapon using a piece of its body. Take feathers from the bird and use them to feather your arrow. Take an old tooth to make your sword. These weapons will have power over the beasts and are the only way to truly defeat them. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">These items may also give you power over the beast - allowing you to give it commands that it may follow. Of course, it will plot to overthrow you and steal back its property as soon as it can. </span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7pKscFQ6SygTeM1x33on_Ek3vR5BduCmuJHD8tQQYeplAT948C-p0CiMJ3wfsJvAXAFhJlGsmuL4EiOv-tZon5QNqXKsL36axG64Ch7110g34Ar-d9r9QvA88FJSXsdr-g4xXLsjnwz8Qff2QlnJOqTz6sjuydMHvMlL3Q57640byZ09kGyntxpNNhGk/s2038/F7b4ZoEWgAAeTLN.jpg" style="font-size: 18.72px; font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1093" data-original-width="2038" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7pKscFQ6SygTeM1x33on_Ek3vR5BduCmuJHD8tQQYeplAT948C-p0CiMJ3wfsJvAXAFhJlGsmuL4EiOv-tZon5QNqXKsL36axG64Ch7110g34Ar-d9r9QvA88FJSXsdr-g4xXLsjnwz8Qff2QlnJOqTz6sjuydMHvMlL3Q57640byZ09kGyntxpNNhGk/w400-h215/F7b4ZoEWgAAeTLN.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><br /></span></li><li><span>The dungeon is a dead world. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">The only true life in the dungeon comes from things that have been brought here from the outside world and twisted into new shapes. Everything else is dead, barren and sterile, no matter how beautiful it looks. There are no fish in the ocean. The grass fields are empty. The forest are still.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Ghosts haunt the landscape. You see the phantoms of an endless parade of boats on the horizon, sailing forever to nowhere. Dopplegangers, reflections and empty mirages are common.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">This also explains the presence of hostile monsters. They are hungry. There is nothing to eat. They fell into this otherworld and have never been able to escape. Birds or other animals that fall in find themselves twisting into new, monstrous forms. Now their children have begun to forget what the outside even looks like. They lose the ability to speak or fly or breed. All they can do is starve and scheme and hunt for every scrap of food they can find in this beautiful yet barren world.</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ6gwSzNPG-nLoHbb7FOec-Sy_4QHfoJ4lkMgbeIyD3ck7jJmQ8rQgWqQAuZhkr0aFqyR1vQ5YWDKFvtoU6O64d5TJ4Xgf9NZ6WmobYmEagmq6tX4JXG7iTCi-sgeQxDD1Av5dvArysnkKT4uBEEiytkDoIxpBX857pGAqLlU5TbN307S6PXWlEU1b5gs/s2042/F7b4ZoEWQAEP2rF.jpg" style="font-size: 18.72px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="911" data-original-width="2042" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ6gwSzNPG-nLoHbb7FOec-Sy_4QHfoJ4lkMgbeIyD3ck7jJmQ8rQgWqQAuZhkr0aFqyR1vQ5YWDKFvtoU6O64d5TJ4Xgf9NZ6WmobYmEagmq6tX4JXG7iTCi-sgeQxDD1Av5dvArysnkKT4uBEEiytkDoIxpBX857pGAqLlU5TbN307S6PXWlEU1b5gs/w400-h179/F7b4ZoEWQAEP2rF.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /><br /></div></span></li><li><span>The dungeon is a true otherworld.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Inside the dungeon are vast oceans. Fields of grass. Forests, towers, abandoned cottages. Each dungeon Room you make on your GM map may be hundreds of acres wide, or even seemingly infinite once you're inside. The players might travel between rooms by exploring a haunted forest, or sailing for days until they find an island with a staircase leading down into the next Room. <br /></span><br /><span style="font-weight: 400;">There is a real sky in the dungeon, and you can look up and see stars. The inhabitants of the dungeon refer to the real world as "Up There". There are mystical, strange links between the dungeon and the world above. It seems to be able to influence the real world in ways you can't quite understand.<br /><br />Fires could be like a fast travel point unlocked by experienced explorers. Once you learn the trick, the party can jump into a fire and emerge out of any other fire in the dungeon.<br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_qolLbHhp2UHeikztRDFUsspLf__8xffNQfrsCvOrDgasohZvc4ke8iwSQNmEK7r6ATwcDHrjNG5EJMd8bMQa5RcAWKp2evgRBdXSzFor4PGT-Yhbxz9Jw4-KhU5g8QSBfP9bFWXxtaAQ5Dt_wo29tNZl8-UrTY4tVTPCGR6IkpdGBbQO8oFuoGMmiks/s1137/Untitled-1.png" style="font-size: 18.72px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="736" data-original-width="1137" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_qolLbHhp2UHeikztRDFUsspLf__8xffNQfrsCvOrDgasohZvc4ke8iwSQNmEK7r6ATwcDHrjNG5EJMd8bMQa5RcAWKp2evgRBdXSzFor4PGT-Yhbxz9Jw4-KhU5g8QSBfP9bFWXxtaAQ5Dt_wo29tNZl8-UrTY4tVTPCGR6IkpdGBbQO8oFuoGMmiks/w400-h259/Untitled-1.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span></li><li><span>The fantasy is juxtaposed with a real-world setting.</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span><span style="font-size: 18.72px;"> </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">This is a common idea - Narnia, Pan's Labyrinth, The Book Of Lost Things, and of course this movie - but I don't see it often in RPG's. I think it could make for a unique and compelling campaign. <br /><br />Outside the megadungeon you have a relatively mundane setting - let's say you set it during World War 1 or 2, and the protagonists are sent to the countryside. While exploring their new home and the grounds, they find the dungeon. <br /><br />Once they enter the dungeon, they discover the fantastical otherworld and unlock the full powers of their classic D&D character (or whatever system you prefer). Just being in the dungeon gives you magical strength and power. They get the spells, skills and D&D powers while they're in the dungeon, and in the real world they just get their basic stats (or you could even use a different system, like BRP). <br /><br />They have to juggle their real lives (And the mundane horrors of the war) with the wonder and terror of the dungeon. <span><span>This juxtopisition adds an element of grit and realism that grounds the surreal fantasy of the dungeon world.</span></span><span style="font-weight: 700;"> </span><br /></span><br /></span></span></li></ol></h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><h3></h3><h3><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal; text-align: left;">All images from The Boy and The Heron by Studio Ghibli. </i></div></h3><br /><p></p></div>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13576384742168685922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5198965507306079094.post-10746486170266850912023-12-06T19:13:00.000-08:002023-12-07T15:02:01.650-08:00ENTITY 09: THE LOST IN THE MALL MACHINE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0nFJkU44fyCL2ddm3R_WQGa5sA4I_cjjxLtoXB3_dnJ6y2bJpLgfA4ArTwz5HebPqnUg8syO48pkDLuzWALcb714OpOy5uYYAwrTQ6aCvv4vDKETY68cI6njgvzDCFx94hyphenhyphenWuFzwEhA0EGs6KhCQI1JODs2KTOwq_woQAQcvtmZK1VdKc241vj_PrgOM/s705/9dbfda3f2c37c47681dcdd94b27d8a3d.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="705" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0nFJkU44fyCL2ddm3R_WQGa5sA4I_cjjxLtoXB3_dnJ6y2bJpLgfA4ArTwz5HebPqnUg8syO48pkDLuzWALcb714OpOy5uYYAwrTQ6aCvv4vDKETY68cI6njgvzDCFx94hyphenhyphenWuFzwEhA0EGs6KhCQI1JODs2KTOwq_woQAQcvtmZK1VdKc241vj_PrgOM/s320/9dbfda3f2c37c47681dcdd94b27d8a3d.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Photographer: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/johnnykeethon/">Simon Kerola a.k.a Johnny Keethon</a></i></div><br /><p style="margin: 0px; text-align: left;">Research has shown that false memories can be implanted with surprising ease. The "Lost in the Mall" experiment involves implanting the subject with the false memory of being lost in the mall as a child. Subjects not only took on the false memory, but spontaneously created their own new details to support the implant. When told that one of their memories was false, they were unable to identify which was implanted, and which was real.</p><div><p>The Lost In The Mall Machine has refined this process with terrifying efficiency. New models are now capable of implanting false memories into the mind of anyone within a city block. This technique has opened up new vistas of propoganda and product placement.</p></div><div>Remember the night you proposed to your fiance? How you both shared a delicious can of Coke<span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #5f6368; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold;">™</span> together? Remember, after your son was born, how you ordered takeout through Uber Eats<span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #5f6368; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold;">™</span>? The Machine is programmed to tie its false memories into moments of great emotional significance. When used effectively, this technique means the subject begins to take on the lie as a core component of their personal identity. Their personality slowly grows around the false memory, like flesh growing and closing over a splinter. If someone tells them the memory is false, they react with anger, disbelief, defensiveness. They will defend their own brainwashing at all costs.</div><div><br /></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid8BBUTBaUfX2NS-DmnXSp8U7A1IVXUn22FOlNMj0JDEDJz_kVJ9tS1BEA4z1OPWZp3p1dK91t-5k56omY0KpQ0KweJbFg5CyCsn5cB92x8bFi6yWCnOFtoT_Ppy6cbGDj2bofsGNfI7qIvT2KZQGRSlVPCKzhMZiYG-0eHUoX3Ev2ePD1BRFXSoL8q7w/s960/6178c3f0081a107510f0a9e8a0baf9f0.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="787" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid8BBUTBaUfX2NS-DmnXSp8U7A1IVXUn22FOlNMj0JDEDJz_kVJ9tS1BEA4z1OPWZp3p1dK91t-5k56omY0KpQ0KweJbFg5CyCsn5cB92x8bFi6yWCnOFtoT_Ppy6cbGDj2bofsGNfI7qIvT2KZQGRSlVPCKzhMZiYG-0eHUoX3Ev2ePD1BRFXSoL8q7w/w328-h400/6178c3f0081a107510f0a9e8a0baf9f0.jpg" width="328" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Photographer: <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/TheAvalancheGang/submitted/?sort=top">TheAvalancheGang</a></i></div><br /><div><b>Implanting false memories</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div>As always, if you're going to use this, make sure this is the kind of thing your players are comfortable with. Let them know that your campaign will involve elements of psychological horror, false perception, and distorted memories, and don't use this if they aren't ok with that. This monster will work best if your players are capable of playing along in-character, even if they understand they're wrong out-of-character.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>To implant a false memory, work with the PC's to determine critical questions about their backstory. Introduce NPC's and say, "This is an old friend from your home town. How did you two meet?" Work with them to create memories of their past, just like you would in a normal campaign. Then, decide which of those memories are false. </div><div><br /></div><div>Look at each characters backstory through crosshairs. That hometown the party has never visited - maybe when they travel there, they discover no such place exists. Maybe their parents have actually been paid actors the entire time, supported by false memories. Friends, NPC's, any element of their backstory could be a false memories from the Lost in the Mall Machine. </div><div><br /></div><div>Here are some potential options for how a enemy faction could use the machine against the PC's:</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>A friendly NPC from someone's backstory is actually a spy, using false memories to infiltrate the group.</li><li>Your hometown does not exist. If you go there, you find nothing but empty concrete. An organisation is using false memories to conceal the real place, which is their base of operations. </li><li>A PC actually used to work for the enemy organisation, and their memories have been overwritten in order to avoid the exposure of trade secrets and confidential information. </li><li>A precious item from your past is actually a tracking device.</li><li>When trying to get somewhere (to track down the enemy organisation or the Lost in the Mall Machine) the machine sends you false memories of which path you came down and which corridors you've walked, making you lost and confused.</li><li>You are given memories that confuse your goals or weaken your resolve, making you sympathetic to the enemy. </li><li>A friendly NPC has been mislead and confused by false memories and is taking a disastrous course of action.</li><li>A basic fact you took for granted is false. That isn't water you've been drinking. </li><li>A terrible crime you commited has been obscured and replaced with a happy memory. You paid them to do this, long ago. You don't remember running over your best friend while drunk that night. </li><li>You are sent memories of something good (an old hideout, a stash of gear, a buried treasure) which are used to lure you into a trap.</li></ol></div><div><br /></div><div>In a coporate basement, deep in an abandoned parking lot, in a place concealed by false memories, the PC's may be able to track down and confront the Machine.</div><div><br /></div><div><h3 style="text-align: center;"><b>ENTITY 07: THE LOST IN THE MALL MACHINE</b></h3><div style="text-align: center;"><b>[Stats: As Vampire]</b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Mw-cJT4-_pMvwiSJ3yQvlDxSy4xC44m2JioCj5V3u7uoIQIyBGwPkng6Xy_RsoEGF5UkMA1gujQ4g_WQ9Gg_P54BkhmbEyvm5-WQDu9Kh6IZPKbwF7oPudJn7jV2LGO2dcOpGS9ke8PGy87fK5HWoKPsNO7Uz5NqPCpgQi_NfM5z2Ek92IL08EQT0TA/s1002/4ae540881d2851ed844ea54c44eca138.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1002" data-original-width="564" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Mw-cJT4-_pMvwiSJ3yQvlDxSy4xC44m2JioCj5V3u7uoIQIyBGwPkng6Xy_RsoEGF5UkMA1gujQ4g_WQ9Gg_P54BkhmbEyvm5-WQDu9Kh6IZPKbwF7oPudJn7jV2LGO2dcOpGS9ke8PGy87fK5HWoKPsNO7Uz5NqPCpgQi_NfM5z2Ek92IL08EQT0TA/w360-h640/4ae540881d2851ed844ea54c44eca138.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Artist: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mmowskwozz/">Gina Skwoz</a></i></div><br /><div>The machine's true form is hard to discern. Refracted, clustered half-images of people from your memories surround it. The center is impossible to see. Black oil constantly spurts from this fractured image and covers the surrounding area. </div><div><br /></div><div><h3><u>Abilities</u></h3></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><span style="font-size: medium;">[Lair Effect] [Nostalgia Gunk]:</span> </b>The machine oozes black nostalgia gunk. Draw it in random splodges all over your battle map, and add a trail of it wherever the machine moves. It can be cleared with water.</div><div><br /></div><div>Touching the gunk sends you into a nostalgia haze. You see everything through rose tinted glasses, as if in a memory of days gone by. While in the gunk, your speed is halved, you have disadvantage on all saves, and you must keep moving each round to avoid being dragged under. If you are dragged down, you end up in the <b>Memory Hole</b> (see below).</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-size: medium;">[Memory Hole]: </span></b>You fall asleep and your mind is trapped in a custom-tailored recursive dream of the past. Ask the PC that fell in first to describe one of their most important memories. Everyone caught in the memory hole will fall into that same memory. Here are some options to inspire you:</div><div><div><div><ol><li>Coming of age moment (eg, your Bah Mitzvah)</li><li>Romantic moment (Your first kiss)</li><li>Moment of grief (The death of a loved one)</li><li>Moment of triumph (Getting that big promotion)</li><li>Moment of friendship (Meeting an old friend for the first time)</li><li>Moment of pain (Breaking your arm as a kid)</li><li>Moment of fear (Trying to find your lost child)</li><li>Moment of rage (Being humiliated at work)</li><li>Moment of calm (Looking out over the city skyline late at night)</li><li>Moment of joy (A wild party from when you were younger)</li></ol></div></div><div>One person in each dream will be the Machine. They will take the form of someone you love or respect, or a background character. They will be slightly uncanny in a way you can only notice with close study. Maybe they have too many fingers, or too many teeth, or their arms aren't on right, or their legs terminate in the ground without feet, or they have a conjoined mass of feet at the end of their limbs. As the fight progresses the machine will get more sophisticated in its copies - you may only be able to tell which person it is by asking questions or noticing subtle mistakes in its speech.</div><div><br /></div><div>If you attack the fake, you deal that damage to the machine, and everyone in the Memory Hole will be freed and wake up in the real world. The next time someone falls in, create a new memory. </div><div><br /></div><div>At the end of each round, everyone in the memory hole must make a will save or lose half of their maximum HP (rounded down). A long rest restores all max HP. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>[Reaction] [Mandela Effect] [3/Day]:</b> </span>Whenever the machine fails a saving throw, it can decide that was a false memory. Everyone witnessing it will still falsely believe that the saving throw failed (for example, if they case Sleep, they will all see the machine fall asleep). The illusion shatters quickly as soon as it is tested.</div><div><div><br /></div></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Actions</span></u></h3><div><br /></div><div>After each players turn, the Machine can move 10 feet and take one of the following actions. See my post on <a href="https://rottenpulp.blogspot.com/2022/12/random-boss-idea-destroy-action-economy.html">Boss action economy</a> if you're not sure how this works.</div><div><br /></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b><span style="font-size: medium;">[Mass Delusion]</span></b></li><ul><li><b><span style="font-size: medium;">[Charge up]:</span> </b>The machine powers up the blast below, and uses it as their next action. The PC's can see what's about to happen.</li><li><b><span style="font-size: medium;">[Blast] [60ft cone]: </span></b>Everyone caught in the blast must make a will save or take d6 psychic damage and fall into the Memory Hole.</li></ul><li><b><span style="font-size: medium;">[Spew Nostalgia Gunk]:</span> </b>The Machine coats a 30ft area in the arena with nostalgia gunk.</li><li><b><span style="font-size: medium;">[Shadow Mind Interface] [Touch]: </span></b>The target must succeed on a constitution save or take d6 psychic damage and become paralysed for 1 minute. If you're in the nostalgia gunk, this can cause you to fall into the Memory Hole, which ends the paralysis (but traps you in the memory hole). The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.</li><li><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>[Solastalgia] [Range 40ft]</b>: </span>The target is completely overwhelmed with knowledge of how bad things have gotten. The golden age is over. Your happiness is gone. The world rots. Memories are all you have left. Take 3d6 psychic damage (half on will save) and weep for all that has been lost.</li><li><b><span style="font-size: medium;">[Confabulate] [Recharge 5-6]: </span></b>The machine projects flickering hallucinatory memories around it. You see it the way your mother appeared to you as a child, or what your father looked like as he walked out the door for the last time. These images act as the Mirror Image spell. Defeating these may briefly reveal the form of the real machine before it restarts the confabulation engine.</li><li><b><span style="font-size: medium;">[Social Contagion] [Desperation: Trigger when the machine hits 1/4th health]: </span></b>An explosion of psychic energy blasts from the machine and everyone in 60ft must make a will save or take 2d6 damage and fall into a new memory hole. This unique memory hole is a twisted mash-up of every memory used in the fight so far. The people, places and items are mutant, smashed-together amalgams from different memories. The NPC's here are malevolent and attack the PC's as the machine attempts to escape [Number appearing: 3d6, stats as basic commoner, 1HP, d6 psychic damage on hit]. </li></ul><div><br /></div></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-size: medium;">The Aftermath</span></u></h3><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWUXXGSkFzsVkUOtSzjjO2RScW02uxmTKYNfvxtiOUTB6kIT6rVt3qrLFyMPubOXKOojsI0obwEJ7TiWXMj7c-k1kFqJlTP4PwBO_vui8R-nttdwOCSCcqxrP2sIWUcYJEMSc7GWGUCSZ_hgPht83iWmzd0JVvFEYRyWRNR-JSGmAfC3osN-LYf4yR8Gg/s800/f72cdaf34e8fc26aa29d267ed30bf585.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="550" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWUXXGSkFzsVkUOtSzjjO2RScW02uxmTKYNfvxtiOUTB6kIT6rVt3qrLFyMPubOXKOojsI0obwEJ7TiWXMj7c-k1kFqJlTP4PwBO_vui8R-nttdwOCSCcqxrP2sIWUcYJEMSc7GWGUCSZ_hgPht83iWmzd0JVvFEYRyWRNR-JSGmAfC3osN-LYf4yR8Gg/w275-h400/f72cdaf34e8fc26aa29d267ed30bf585.jpg" width="275" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i>The real form of the machine. Artist: <a href="https://www.deviantart.com/korintic">Korintic</a></i></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div>Once destroyed, the machine will unlock. Inside is an elderly person, shrunken and strung up with wires. They agreed to be strapped in a long time ago in exchange for a generous payment package. Their regrets fuel the machine. Deseperate, lonely and in debt, this is often the only option for some senior citizens to avoid homelessness and provide an inheritance for their children. Some, forgotten even by their families, prefer the company of memories in any case. </div></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p style="text-align: left;">If freed from the machine, they have immense difficulty adapting to the outside world. They have spent so long in other people's memories that they can barely tell who they are. They may think that they are the PC's, or other victims of memory implantation. Many will ask, desperately, to be put back in the machine. The present has nothing left for them anymore. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Implanted memories do not disappear when the machine is destroyed.</p></div></div></div><div><div><br /></div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAfIGNvhNhnKqwhn8W8b3zyDrcBUlkCS8IOt5boj44PdBsrizmwI2wG8o9fKUEWPxGaGEmFM6AWZGnmOD9WEOjSJd87aKaB9us1cEUsznNmdV3BRuVLk-NdtPsY6pThIWRw-FZb-3C5Q0ugdRTuu11mAZEbq3wwaCnRe-xCa5PvjeO6QK7uKyiE5TK" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAfIGNvhNhnKqwhn8W8b3zyDrcBUlkCS8IOt5boj44PdBsrizmwI2wG8o9fKUEWPxGaGEmFM6AWZGnmOD9WEOjSJd87aKaB9us1cEUsznNmdV3BRuVLk-NdtPsY6pThIWRw-FZb-3C5Q0ugdRTuu11mAZEbq3wwaCnRe-xCa5PvjeO6QK7uKyiE5TK=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Paranoia Agent, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0464804/">Satoshi Kon</a></i></div><div><br /></div>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13576384742168685922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5198965507306079094.post-665121486120877502023-08-13T20:39:00.001-07:002023-08-13T20:39:23.716-07:00It lives!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiB-w-0xDnKOumI1Biv0AyqkJu9tCC9PbGRQ7pgvY4BYjU5R9Z-IzBaTlMHPz8sDlJRhafwtDDDw0fIDGG2r3gwuuABcLOZmpGD4Wl7pSBrMofKvOopqp_ZPxzxSuugskj6nzH_DkKaL1dh7ri_GUZvjRybpnPoVD-Uz5zoA_uG7VugCdtUS3InX607RGg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="578" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiB-w-0xDnKOumI1Biv0AyqkJu9tCC9PbGRQ7pgvY4BYjU5R9Z-IzBaTlMHPz8sDlJRhafwtDDDw0fIDGG2r3gwuuABcLOZmpGD4Wl7pSBrMofKvOopqp_ZPxzxSuugskj6nzH_DkKaL1dh7ri_GUZvjRybpnPoVD-Uz5zoA_uG7VugCdtUS3InX607RGg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My visual novel <a href="https://www.ashtowngames.com/thief-witch-toad-mushroom">The Thief, The Toad, The Witch and The Mushroom</a> is now feature complete. This is something I've been working on for the past three years - and I've wanted to make a video game as long as I've been alive. So, this is a pretty huge moment for me.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I would love to get as much playtesting and feedback as I can. If you're interested, please shoot me a line and I'll send you the build!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">You can contact me by filling out this form on <a href="https://www.ashtowngames.com/thief-witch-toad-mushroom">my website</a>, or by joining the <a href="https://discord.gg/u2Cxxrku">Brisbane Megagame Discord server</a>, or by commenting below!</div><br /><p></p>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13576384742168685922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5198965507306079094.post-13129530748179612212023-05-17T21:26:00.003-07:002023-05-17T21:26:58.326-07:00Dread Encounters<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDIPz960lDiHKxZyNM47gYqV_W19fbDNmHvoSTG0uLJsiLJRIKfjGlo5XqUVJzAwp9z9hivru1dZ2iCQb_YzZzXS3CUM88z3v0deTtR9AWQV0rYJF5ttjn5INGYkumRj27MeJ1ihUP8dhikDqZ0OH1Qttjv43PvoNATVkuAJznj3KIs4C6o3s-12Fm/s1200/wanderingmonsters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="844" data-original-width="1200" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDIPz960lDiHKxZyNM47gYqV_W19fbDNmHvoSTG0uLJsiLJRIKfjGlo5XqUVJzAwp9z9hivru1dZ2iCQb_YzZzXS3CUM88z3v0deTtR9AWQV0rYJF5ttjn5INGYkumRj27MeJ1ihUP8dhikDqZ0OH1Qttjv43PvoNATVkuAJznj3KIs4C6o3s-12Fm/w400-h281/wanderingmonsters.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>All illustrations by Russ Nicholson, Rest In Peace.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p>I just read <a href="https://goblinpunch.blogspot.com/2023/04/the-underclock-fixing-random-encounter.html">this interesting post</a> from Goblin Punch about changing the random encounter roll. </p><p>The core design goals are:</p><p><b>1.</b> To provide <b>time pressure.</b></p><div><b>2. </b>To create <b>suspense. </b></div><div><br /></div><div>The Underclock achieves these goals but I have an alternate proposal: Let's take a page from <a href="https://rpgbookshelf.com.au/product/dread/">Dread</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwL7nYh0CeAx0tORF3E_yCvo5Vx4Gq-5RHVWiJGSbkhiCAv2aZboS2IMlhf1ZgWJepptJEDxl4QH2qEtd132lIFGSuqXlmBR1VXM_c5khkKF-4YQawthvSMnYb6emcRI3MMXf7cVdzFn2nfcg4iB-qGes_OQQTv-rB_qJQkDTNzp_HveBc_zHH2JIS/s275/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwL7nYh0CeAx0tORF3E_yCvo5Vx4Gq-5RHVWiJGSbkhiCAv2aZboS2IMlhf1ZgWJepptJEDxl4QH2qEtd132lIFGSuqXlmBR1VXM_c5khkKF-4YQawthvSMnYb6emcRI3MMXf7cVdzFn2nfcg4iB-qGes_OQQTv-rB_qJQkDTNzp_HveBc_zHH2JIS/w400-h266/download.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Dread Encounters</h2><div><br /></div><div>Whenever the party takes a meaningful action in the dungeon, they must <b>pull 1 block from a Jenga tower.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>A meaningful action is:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Entering a new room (exploring it and seeing what's there at a basic level)</li><li>Completing a full search of a room with the entire party (finding all secrets, traps and treasure)</li><li>Completing 1 normal combat</li><li>Doing something that makes a lot of noise (eg kicking down a door)</li><li>Completing a short rest</li><li>Moving through 3 rooms that have already been explored</li><li>Anything that takes around ten minutes</li></ul></div><div>Whenever the tower wobbles, tilts, or <i>almost </i>falls over, give the players an <b>Omen</b>. They hear the beast in the distance. They see it's footprints. They smell the bitter iron tang of it in the air. Foreshadow the incoming danger to push up the suspense. </div><div><br /></div><div>When the tower collapses, <b>the beast descends</b>. The party has a <b>Dread Encounter</b>.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWpKhMrI3I0s_GwI52FRsF-KLRGwiNzqBkJiIIzUHCdEII1ENhiMf_cxvGcSeUgJhEKYORl6iRnXEgk7AGKORdel3vkk2Fz3bjGN0GPG8yUBHPUCNAMBu2ImD9ttdbDVQ-AE8ydbIY5XEQqOHgtxP6C8nWlG-P_otmHQbFZLvHqF-yGhYh2jVhwdKg/s960/407_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWpKhMrI3I0s_GwI52FRsF-KLRGwiNzqBkJiIIzUHCdEII1ENhiMf_cxvGcSeUgJhEKYORl6iRnXEgk7AGKORdel3vkk2Fz3bjGN0GPG8yUBHPUCNAMBu2ImD9ttdbDVQ-AE8ydbIY5XEQqOHgtxP6C8nWlG-P_otmHQbFZLvHqF-yGhYh2jVhwdKg/w300-h400/407_o.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Beauty and Terror</h3><div><br /></div><div>A dread encounter should be <b>monstrous. </b>A major twist that's much, much more terrible and damaging than a normal random encounter. Some examples could be:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>The evil forces accomplish a critical part of their plans.</b> The lovecraftian entity is summoned. The hostages are killed. The ancient relic is lost forever. The rival party got to the treasure first and stole it.</li><ul><li>This is a good default option. Think about what your factions want and have them achieve a major part of it when the tower falls.</li></ul><li><b>A terrifying monster ambushes the party.</b></li><ul><li>This is a great option for situations like the giant in <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/312481/Deep-Carbon-Observatory--Remastered">Deep Carbon Observatory</a> or the giant in <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/348439/The-Waking-of-Willowby-Hall">The Waking of Willowby Hall</a>. It should not be just a normal monster encounter, but an unstoppable beast that's way above their level. </li></ul><li><b>The dungeon undergoes a horrific metamorphosis. </b>The environment changes and shifts in a fundamental and awful way. The earth shakes, rocks fall and damage you, your path to the exit is blocked off, mouths form in the rock. The Underworld is hungry. </li><ul><li>A great example of when to use this would be the Tower of Soot from <a href="https://losing-games.itch.io/mausritter-the-estate-adventure-collection">The Estate</a>. The players are climbing up a chimney. When the tower falls, the fireplace is lit and the whole dungeon catches fire.</li></ul><li><b>Morale fails. </b>Your hirelings riot or turn on you and attack. Try using <a href="http://rottenpulp.blogspot.com/2013/03/cowardice-treachery-ineptitude-insanity.html">this table</a> for hireling freakouts if you need inspiration.</li><li><b>Your body fails. </b>The corrupting magic energies of this place distort your mind and body. A carnivorous hunger falls upon you and you need to eat someone <b>now</b>. One of you is possessed by an ancient spirit.</li></ul><div><div></div><div>Remember that on average this will happen after 30 pulls, so this should be a major twist and change in the situation, not just a normal random encounter. In Dread, it just kills a player instantly, so don't pull your punches! Just make sure you give the players lots of foreshadowing so that it feels fair.</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Resting</h3></div><div><br /></div><div>Taking a short rest in the dungeon means 1 block pull (ten minutes). A long rest takes 6 block pulls (1 per hour). Either way, you need to mark off a ration to rest.</div><div><br /></div><div>If you are in a completely safe location, you can rest without making any block pulls. For example, you're in a secret room or something totally locked off from the rest of the dungeon. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJnj23LhzUhvDe-D0sgelPFTe3QohVWSoGKfwnrmNwfJWJ7Ayi68blFat2P20AXWBcYrhHTNViRfrlQ-tl1ieeLpZ9hV6XOOg1Tc0xKwohdA4AmKJ_QyUYz0CFxCtNgVlXk89M2YjsQXatxSrNBXIYccpK9-gLzOn62lWzLNPgSVYAp1t7zxysMbHF/s1200/FOAIJw3WUAAdDpo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="922" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJnj23LhzUhvDe-D0sgelPFTe3QohVWSoGKfwnrmNwfJWJ7Ayi68blFat2P20AXWBcYrhHTNViRfrlQ-tl1ieeLpZ9hV6XOOg1Tc0xKwohdA4AmKJ_QyUYz0CFxCtNgVlXk89M2YjsQXatxSrNBXIYccpK9-gLzOn62lWzLNPgSVYAp1t7zxysMbHF/w308-h400/FOAIJw3WUAAdDpo.png" width="308" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Leaving the dungeon</h3></div></div><div><br /></div><div>When you leave the dungeon and head back to town, the GM decides.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>A: </b>If this is <b>a perilous and urgent situation</b> then the players must pull 2 blocks to leave the dungeon. The Jenga tower then stays as it is for the next delve. </div><div><br /></div><div>This represents the forces of the dungeon marshalling their strength while the players stay away. Use this option if the players have left the dungeon without accomplishing any real goals - for example, they've just peeked in the dungeon and scouted around a bit.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>B: </b>If the players have <b>bought some time</b>, they can use their hands to shift and stabilise the tower when they're about to leave the dungeon. They can put up to 2 blocks from the top back in the tower if they choose.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is the option to choose if they have accomplished a <b>minor goal </b>like finding some treasure or delaying the evil plot. If the tower falls while they're doing this, they still get the dread encounter.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>C: </b>If <b>time is on the player's side</b> then the players can completely rebuild the tower, resetting it back to its starting position.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is the option to use once the players have accomplished a <b>major goal </b>and escaped the dungeon.<b> </b>Defeating a boss, rescuing a key NPC or piece of treasure, etc.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><div><h3>Resource Attrition</h3></div></div><div><br /></div><div>If you want resource attrition, take a black marker and mark half the jenga blocks. </div><div><br /></div><div>Whenever you pull a marked block, your resources deplete. Mark off a torch (or suffer other wear and tear on your equipment and resources, at the GM's discretion). If you cannot, suffer a negative condition.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>If your system doesn't have negative conditions, try: <b>Frightened </b>(disadvantage on Intelligence and Wisdom Checks), <b>Hungry </b>(Disadvantage on Strength and Constitution Checks), or <b>Exhausted </b>(Disadvantage on Dexterity and Charisma checks). </div><div><br /></div><div>Players will naturally avoid the marked blocks. So they'll start off fine with no attrition, and then their supplies will start running out rapidly as they run out of blank blocks to pull. I like this sense of escalation. </div><div><br /></div><div><div><h3>Shorter dungeons</h3></div><div><br /></div><div>This system is designed for longer dungeons that the players are expected to make multiple delves into. If you're planning on a one-shot or a shorter dungeon, give the tower a gentle twist so that it spirals from top to bottom.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6h4ARg4xnKX-JFuI2c_27dy3NVlVv3zJVOTIpP4FcYvBnVhesFBeAPqDYqHxWw7XGH5cnoyzc87HmE4DOa1jWJF_mi5_DiAaMPE0VfrNvbpKPAO5d1ENxqPMAE8Kk3x_wF0oiNX4usrmcMFynAIphk8Pjrsj3j4spW8hj0Dkd8pQ8PhZgUf_jlQRq/s1700/depositphotos_186987748-stock-photo-blocks-wood-game-or-jenga.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1700" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6h4ARg4xnKX-JFuI2c_27dy3NVlVv3zJVOTIpP4FcYvBnVhesFBeAPqDYqHxWw7XGH5cnoyzc87HmE4DOa1jWJF_mi5_DiAaMPE0VfrNvbpKPAO5d1ENxqPMAE8Kk3x_wF0oiNX4usrmcMFynAIphk8Pjrsj3j4spW8hj0Dkd8pQ8PhZgUf_jlQRq/s320/depositphotos_186987748-stock-photo-blocks-wood-game-or-jenga.jpg" width="201" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am told this lowers the average amount of pulls down to around 12. This is the way to do it if you want an urgent situation. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaqwb4XK8VitH_2mWbWaVMrOmOmUCBgrdfz6PxXNAkJH9Egg1qSAtrzMxIRxUeni05ZbxZIaiQKonNG6hsvRYYWVPbB1ME500v2f30eK6PS0hZqrO2lQbmWDRdIPnrP0qKhDEcPqAGZhB4XZMS6XbgiD6Z3X8TjaD3pgpzK53dFul2udLFRacA9YRD/s706/DCCRPG-Nicholson-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaqwb4XK8VitH_2mWbWaVMrOmOmUCBgrdfz6PxXNAkJH9Egg1qSAtrzMxIRxUeni05ZbxZIaiQKonNG6hsvRYYWVPbB1ME500v2f30eK6PS0hZqrO2lQbmWDRdIPnrP0qKhDEcPqAGZhB4XZMS6XbgiD6Z3X8TjaD3pgpzK53dFul2udLFRacA9YRD/w284-h400/DCCRPG-Nicholson-3.jpg" width="284" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div></div></div></div><div><div><h3>Thoughts on Random Encounters in general</h3></div></div><div><br /></div><div>I agree with Arnold that Random Encounters don't achieve the design goal of Suspense and Time Pressure. In my opinion, the core problem isn't just the encounter roll itself... it's that <b>an encounter isn't a punishment</b>. Encounters are fun!</div><div><br /></div><div>After all, in a classic OSR game we should be using a <a href="https://yumdm.com/reaction-rolls/">reaction roll</a>. That means the random encounter only has a 2.6% chance of attacking immediately. It's much more likely that we can negotiate with it, sneak around it, run away from it, give it some food to stop it from attacking us, etc. An encounter should be a chance to roleplay, find out more information about the dungeon, make new allies or bargain for supplies. It's more like a reward than a resource attrition timer.</div><div><br /></div><div>(This was very noticeable in my recent Mausritter campaign, where encounters are things like: "d6 Sugar cultists, carrying buckets of honey". This isn't a punishment for taking too long! It's a charming surprise and a prime opportunity for roleplaying and negotiation. )</div><div><br /></div><div>When we start trying to <b>make </b>an encounter into a punishment... it naturally stops being fun. The true resource attrition timer encounters are things like:</div><div><blockquote><b>"8 orcs appear, they immediately see you and attack, you cannot hide, they cannot be reasoned with, roll for initiative." </b></blockquote></div><div>Sure, it does work a <b>bit </b>better as time pressure, but it's also seriously dull. Especially when it starts happening all the time as the result of a random encounter table. The ability to bargain or negotiate or find ways around problems other than straight combat is a critical part of what makes OSR play interesting. </div><div><br /></div><div>So, while I totally agree with Arnold about the issues with suspense and time pressure, I don't think changing the random encounter roll will do enough to fix that on it's own. Normal random encounters create surprising, fun moments, but they aren't effective time pressure punishments. The consequences themselves need to be dire and have more build up, and I think the dread system could be a good start in that direction. </div><p></p>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13576384742168685922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5198965507306079094.post-22552618706742256052023-02-02T16:13:00.002-08:002023-02-02T17:08:44.413-08:00ENTITY 08: THE EXISTENTIAL THREAT<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpKdJz9o8hRHsmMY3nV7PhT3regub6N_d4u6FxUZlHZtjihlSXmEWxyAK32w5cEzEDLjrJjQDiQZIWNJ7D5ZK1_IPt4Llz2uB-rjewrQrfXhHRR434cmK_VjiwIyZUbUuGcOM0CipH2OYz530_Rk95pmowGt4H0KmCC-0L2-DawoLaCYYQJRlvO1Ei/s640/75eec2b45eb61d8addd60db42864651d.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpKdJz9o8hRHsmMY3nV7PhT3regub6N_d4u6FxUZlHZtjihlSXmEWxyAK32w5cEzEDLjrJjQDiQZIWNJ7D5ZK1_IPt4Llz2uB-rjewrQrfXhHRR434cmK_VjiwIyZUbUuGcOM0CipH2OYz530_Rk95pmowGt4H0KmCC-0L2-DawoLaCYYQJRlvO1Ei/w320-h400/75eec2b45eb61d8addd60db42864651d.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>The ideal conditions for human life are between 30% and 60% reality. Below that, shapes become unconstant. You become larger and smaller based on your mood and feelings. You hands distort. Space and time bends. </div><div><br /></div><div>Earth is in the "Goldilocks Zone", with truth levels that are perfect for human life. Any higher and humans would never have been able to become sentient. Any lower and human life would never be able to become organised into human shape - we would exist as scattered shapes and strange resonances.</div><p>Haunted Houses. Empty Sewers. Abandoned amusement parks. These are the Low Reality Zones. Away from human influence, they warp and bend and grow carnivorous. The further you get from human culture, the more strange you become. Your body and your mind slowly expands and mutates and fractures in on itself. </p><div>So you can see why the space program was a failure. </div><div><br /></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRjD3_NDWoy5INkBCig3AyUBXktbMLy43e60bV7qsb7InxqYn8BKybrmtKmfRX4Bk5iZKsls8g8Iry4cZvOueViHuzcM_fKAkR2ohRQUdoc_ZAjBp0CoP9SFWAtVITeGu8CEah6FpVBBRRCEGek-Q1UAJ4mf4zxoNf4d8sYRG54NKkmTzidMDY7qGE/s843/7cf8ccd3c65634b21a8ea12da5df85de.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="843" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRjD3_NDWoy5INkBCig3AyUBXktbMLy43e60bV7qsb7InxqYn8BKybrmtKmfRX4Bk5iZKsls8g8Iry4cZvOueViHuzcM_fKAkR2ohRQUdoc_ZAjBp0CoP9SFWAtVITeGu8CEah6FpVBBRRCEGek-Q1UAJ4mf4zxoNf4d8sYRG54NKkmTzidMDY7qGE/s320/7cf8ccd3c65634b21a8ea12da5df85de.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We sent them out there to destroy The Existential Threat. But the further the astronauts got, the stranger they became. Some of them returned to earth. They lurk in the dark places, scuttling massive things that ooze and writhe through the oceans or abandoned farm houses where they crash landed. Some of them stayed out there. Some of them went further and further. Massive things lurk in the dark depths of space.</div><div><br /></div><div>What is The Existential Threat? Outer Gods? Or only ourselves, twisted by extreme culture deprivation?</div><div><br /></div><div>Cultural artifacts have a shocking effect on these creatures. Objects with critical symbolic value to the dominant culture of the area. These objects can protect you from the effects of culture deprivation. Creatures may pause at the sight of them or even begin to revert to their old forms. This is why a crucifix can repel a vampire.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSR0ZrWWnDeatE8VTKB4Hk78N4172wwuGs9Zf0rTMZCdL6n-j1DtfLdjvriQDzOKyTOxWiIK0WWkBth-98Z258yIX65MYIwwSHC-aSzNkdE0_Lm9ETbHwAxENt9A-YLPR1XuX5IWtDn2FJHLnuWQiSbzvhXyk3nhffcAj2-ioqk2sEvMAbEzB40owu/s789/9d7d757dde2e357a1c4e3ccf110876a3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="789" data-original-width="563" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSR0ZrWWnDeatE8VTKB4Hk78N4172wwuGs9Zf0rTMZCdL6n-j1DtfLdjvriQDzOKyTOxWiIK0WWkBth-98Z258yIX65MYIwwSHC-aSzNkdE0_Lm9ETbHwAxENt9A-YLPR1XuX5IWtDn2FJHLnuWQiSbzvhXyk3nhffcAj2-ioqk2sEvMAbEzB40owu/s320/9d7d757dde2e357a1c4e3ccf110876a3.jpg" width="228" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Astronauts now go into space in bubbles of culture protection. Space shuttles lined with bibles. But there are some that look at the Outer Gods and whisper... is their way not better? </div><div><br /></div><div>The dominant cultural hegemony surrounds you like the crushing pressure of the ocean, ten thousand fathoms deep, forcing your body and mind into the shapes it requires. Why not take a breath in the deep chaos and freedom of the outer planes? Why not experience those true, mad, beautiful shapes for yourself?</div><div><br /></div><div>There are stories of astronauts breaking through the cultural protection seal, and stepping out of the airlock on their own. To what fate, none can say.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Inspired by <b>Heaven Will Be Mine</b>.</i></div>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13576384742168685922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5198965507306079094.post-82258954348854624682023-01-22T13:55:00.036-08:002023-01-22T14:17:24.180-08:00ENTITY 07: CULTURE VAMPIRE<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbBqswbqKotarc_Pg8zvHfmrWF7nSSIP0FdARdsVVIxSlOf2hCBe-yBptwRPKRzw9h4XKKfWL-sqUbbDOuvu8Fp0vS5GPe9Qa6e69Dk6bcYmiz9qvYmEbe1eyQrcEZgmeAmVeSkvYr0iSwIZfYsN258zZ1Pmnq1negS5RrDRCR3IxJgVf1PK8dLWH0/s869/b9b61599e874214763d757a41c04d64e.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="869" data-original-width="563" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbBqswbqKotarc_Pg8zvHfmrWF7nSSIP0FdARdsVVIxSlOf2hCBe-yBptwRPKRzw9h4XKKfWL-sqUbbDOuvu8Fp0vS5GPe9Qa6e69Dk6bcYmiz9qvYmEbe1eyQrcEZgmeAmVeSkvYr0iSwIZfYsN258zZ1Pmnq1negS5RrDRCR3IxJgVf1PK8dLWH0/w259-h400/b9b61599e874214763d757a41c04d64e.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Artist: Elijah Kass.</i></div><br /></div></div><div>As we have established in <a href="https://rottenpulp.blogspot.com/search/label/No-one%20gets%20out%20alive">previous entries</a>, reality is a weak and unstable force. So, how do our forms stay stable? How do humans keep themselves in the same shape day by day? Keep their houses and thoughts and the objects around them from twisting away and mutating into wild and terrifying shapes? </div><div><br /></div><div>The answer is Culture. Culture is a physical force that exerts crushing pressure on you, like gravity. It constrains you and shapes you, forming your physical and mental form into a shape that pleases it. Culture is what keeps us from exploding into twisted masses of flesh when we pass through low-reality locations. </div><div><br /></div><div>Culture soothes over everything and makes you unable to see the weird stuff at the edge of the world. You simply forget it as soon as you look away. Pedestrians step around the strings of drool from the beast looming over them and chatter about how rainy it is today. Loners and adventurers have built up sufficient counter-culture defense systems to be able to see things, but even they sometimes find the concepts slipping from their mind, like trying to hold onto fog. If they ever retire, they'll forget it all ever happened. </div><div><br /></div><div>The Culture Vampire is a weak, shrivelled thing that survives through it's ability to manipulate the Absolute Culture Field.</div><div><br /></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6fZFzFBb-HvAg6oW-3v1035hKldchZdrp-irX5U8jewby2MiIk2KL9hBAII_hw3fJxhS8yY7nnB0A8jbLR0CmvYDmR7JlIpNEpqtD-KCM52o8SZ4owMeeK1DIqEe55_u_9Vb8UGFp8BYXsLsX_fUYXpRPZ4ihlqTESDIgRqV6yXLYi8yKFxib3xuv/s727/907db03c82ca2071c088fac20a2769cf.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="727" data-original-width="564" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6fZFzFBb-HvAg6oW-3v1035hKldchZdrp-irX5U8jewby2MiIk2KL9hBAII_hw3fJxhS8yY7nnB0A8jbLR0CmvYDmR7JlIpNEpqtD-KCM52o8SZ4owMeeK1DIqEe55_u_9Vb8UGFp8BYXsLsX_fUYXpRPZ4ihlqTESDIgRqV6yXLYi8yKFxib3xuv/w310-h400/907db03c82ca2071c088fac20a2769cf.jpg" width="310" /></a></div><i>Artist: Delic Saike</i><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>ENTITY 07: CULTURE VAMPIRE</b></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Danger: </b>High.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Number Appearing: </b>1-2.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>AC: </b>12. <b>HD: </b>2.<br /><b>Attacks: </b>Drain blood (d6 damage to Strength, vampire heals d6). </div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div><div>The creature begins with d6 <b>rules </b>in place. If you attempt to fight it, the vampire can create one new rule per round, and remove 1 rule per day. </div><div><br /></div><div>A rule is a dominant cultural expectation that everyone within the vampire's culture will obey unthinkingly and without question. They don't even realise they're doing anything strange. The action is automatic and habitual. To break it would be unthinkable. The creature itself must, of course, obey it's own rules.</div><div><br /></div><div> Write the rules on a whiteboard or piece of paper nearby. The specific wording does matter. Here is a table of example rules for you to use, but feel free to invent your own that fit the dominant culture of your setting better.</div><div><ol><li>You can't attack anyone of higher social status than you, even in self defense.</li><li>You cannot refuse someone of higher social status if they make a polite request for your blood.</li><li>Your items are the property of the highest social status individual in the room.</li><li>You cannot hide, sneak, or attempt to use stealth in any way.</li><li>You cannot run - only walk at a slow, dignified pace, while making polite conversation.</li><li>You cannot harm or destroy items or property in any way. (People are fair game). If an item or piece of property would be harmed or diminished in value, you must do everything in your power to prevent it.</li><li> You cannot commit any action that would cause someone to lose money, or potential profits. To do so is the most grievous sin.</li><li>When someone of higher status says something, you must agree with them and act as if they are correct, even if they are obviously wrong.</li><li>When someone of higher status commits a crime, it wasn't their fault. You must do everything within your power to cover up that crime and ensure they are not punished for it, even if you have to take the blame.</li><li>Whenever someone of higher social status makes a mistake, you must ensure that they are shielded from all consequences of said mistake. </li><li>Once per round, when someone of higher social status suffers damage or a negative status effect (for example, they fail a saving throw and become poisoned) a lower status individual nearby must take the penalty instead. </li><li>Anything that causes you to lose face or status is the most terribly thing imaginable. It causes you to take physical damage.</li><li>The Family Unit is the most important thing on earth. You must always obey your mother and father and shield them from anything that would cause them to lose face.</li><li>Your religion is the most important thing on earth. You must obey all religious tenants.</li><li>If a person of higher status attempts to destroy you, you must assist them. For example, if they fail to hit you, you must make an immediate attack roll against yourself.</li><li>You cannot notice strange, bizarre or supernatural things when they happen. Your mind simply blanks itself. Moments after you see it, you forget it, and go about your business.</li><li>Any victim of a highest status individual's actions deserved everything they got. They must be shunned, removed from society, ignored, destroyed. They are no longer a person. </li><li>A set of people chosen by the vampire are now Untouchables. This could be people of a certain social class or profession (eg Adventurers), people from a specific district or place, etc. No aid can be offered to them. They cannot be touched or talked to. They must be shunned and ignored.</li><li>Consuming food or drink in front of other people is terribly gauche. You must never admit that you actually eat food. People will make a big show of destroying their food and drink for social clout. Meals are eaten secretly and with great guilt.</li><li>The Vampire's appearance (Shrivelled, sunken, gaunt, a hollow corpse-shell) is now the ideal physical form - the height of beauty and fashion. It defines all beauty standards. People will go to great lengths to look like the vampire. It will be fawned over by fans.</li></ol></div><div>The vampire, of course, will usually be the highest status person in the room. But the PC's could use it's rules against it if they find a person of higher social status, or somehow become higher social status themselves.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>The rules get stronger when there are a lot of people from the dominant culture who can see you. They grow weaker when you're alone or surrounded by people from a different culture. If you're alone with the vampire, or your PC isn't from the hegemonic culture, you can make a Wisdom saving throw to ignore a rule for 10 minutes. PC's from a totally different and alien culture may get advantage on this roll, or ignore the rules entirely at your discretion. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>Anyone who does disobey these rules or attempt to rebel against them in any way is seen as crazy, dangerous, a fool, unhinged. Everyone will agree that they must be removed and taken care of, for their own safety and the safety of others. </div><div><br /></div><div>The force of the rules will usually extend to the boundaries of a single city, town or dungeon level. More powerful Culture Vampires can extend their rules further and further - a nation, an entire empire. While in the area of influence, you must obey the rules as long as someone can see you. You can break the rules in private, with great shame and guilt. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The vampire will usually be attended by large crowds of attendants, guards, assistants and yes-men. It doesn't like to be alone. </div><div><br /></div></div><div><div><br /></div></div>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13576384742168685922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5198965507306079094.post-13316495724573861332023-01-15T12:34:00.001-08:002023-01-16T15:27:23.985-08:00ENTITY 06: EXCESS REALITY SQUAD<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/ad/18/23/ad18233682a603a34bec4b1af2da022f.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="514" height="400" src="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/ad/18/23/ad18233682a603a34bec4b1af2da022f.jpg" width="257" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://twitter.com/D4RK_SOL/status/1419884729520726021"><i>Art by D4rk</i></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p>This elite special ops unit is trained to contain hyper-real objects and persons. The world is mostly fake, so any object that is 70% real or more can cause extreme damage to the fabric of the universe. In the presence of these hyper-real objects, fictional concepts begin to break down. The fundamental storytelling instinct that humans use in order to understand and interpret the universe begins to disintegrate. Reality Exposure begins to set in.</p><p>In the <b>first stage</b> of Reality Exposure, subjects begin losing their understanding of basic fictional concepts - like The Economy, or Nationality. </p><p>In <b>advanced stages</b> they no longer understand more important concepts like Truth, Beauty, Love, or Human Connection. </p><p>In the <b>terminal stage</b>, they completely lose the concept of the "Human Being". They are no longer a Human - just a collection of organs, flesh and brain matter. The exposure continues until finally they lose even that. They become nothing but molecules, randomly vibrating through space. </p><div>Physically, nothing changes. But no-one who looks at them would recognise them as a human at all.</div><div><br /></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilhQe-bssaaHEZV8ad5-kHiBZsx3Z8pg5e9bFAmWXj2NIPesZ1zaqcO-3xk0T9YIbokoHeopUUiIF5QveSKqranXioa1vUKpnper0CMgfAAHfIlDw5toq7pBF3Tzn8hxPtoryrl12hnwfHxICuLnkjj0q9EuFeEg5cvGpKrvNWIP5iDhVlOy7ovbgY/s564/27455ac74d77937f4591b3f6706b265c.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilhQe-bssaaHEZV8ad5-kHiBZsx3Z8pg5e9bFAmWXj2NIPesZ1zaqcO-3xk0T9YIbokoHeopUUiIF5QveSKqranXioa1vUKpnper0CMgfAAHfIlDw5toq7pBF3Tzn8hxPtoryrl12hnwfHxICuLnkjj0q9EuFeEg5cvGpKrvNWIP5iDhVlOy7ovbgY/s320/27455ac74d77937f4591b3f6706b265c.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://tuanmulo.tumblr.com/about"><i>Art by mulo</i></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div></div><div>The excess reality squad is formed from moderately high-reality individuals, taken from their families and trained from birth. Persons chosen for the squad must be at least 50% real, allowing them to withstand exposure to high-reality objects for longer than the average citizen. They wear gasmasks and hazmat suits customised with bold, colourful, over-the-top designs that represent dominant cultural concepts, to reduce the impact of reality exposure. They use sensors to detect areas of dangerously high reality and shut them down.</div><div><br /></div><div>They also have the duty of tracking <b><a href="https://rottenpulp.blogspot.com/2022/12/entity-05-high-reality-individual.html">Wei</a> </b>and other high-reality individuals. These individuals pay little attention to low-reality weapons or bullets, and so the squad keeps a cache of high-reality weaponry on hand in case any of these individuals ever need to be neutralised. Their best weapon is an antique flintlock pistol with 3 remaining bullets - at 65%, 72%, and 81% reality. Other relics include an old pocketwatch (79%), a copy of the oxford dictionary (82%) and their prized possession, a battered stop sign (89%). </div><div><br /></div><div>Any of these objects would theoretically be capable of dealing incredible damage if it hit a low-reality person. However, holding them for a prolonged period would cause terminal dissasociation to even the toughest squad member, so they're only used in the most dire circumstances. Until they are needed, they are kept in obsidian containment boxes lined with pulp fiction.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVVV-aNatohb_3rkIP5xb3c3lWzqY9F_gXZABhIiJR2cxQJ4EsieU4GGpogBP2pVtKlH8w3c1cgfXmCy8O0FsbAGym_ZfqfESJEfGqWhKga2oFY6CVtKBqQRBKKmCfkh1oj0e2mjJyiNS5F-KiAIDsLmqtINrbj46tj6sMUl7ZWlaIhzbJxkhftoVl/s564/dfe45c25d5472695dfd478930c2094c8.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVVV-aNatohb_3rkIP5xb3c3lWzqY9F_gXZABhIiJR2cxQJ4EsieU4GGpogBP2pVtKlH8w3c1cgfXmCy8O0FsbAGym_ZfqfESJEfGqWhKga2oFY6CVtKBqQRBKKmCfkh1oj0e2mjJyiNS5F-KiAIDsLmqtINrbj46tj6sMUl7ZWlaIhzbJxkhftoVl/s320/dfe45c25d5472695dfd478930c2094c8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://tuanmulo.tumblr.com/about"><i>Art by mulo</i></a></div><div><br /></div><div><div><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, "ヒラギノ角ゴ Pro W3", "Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro", メイリオ, Meiryo, "MS Pゴシック", Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"" style="background-color: white; color: #211922; font-size: 12px;"><br /></span></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>ENTITY 06: EXCESS REALITY SQUAD</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Danger: </b>Medium.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Number Appearing: </b>3-5.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>AC: </b>16. <b>HD: </b>3.<br /><b>Attacks: </b>Surreal Rifles (d8). Reality-warp Grenades (d12 blast). Gravity Cannon (d6, intensifies the gravity of whatever it's pointed at. Target gets 2 - 6 times heavier depending on setting). 20% chance of carrying d4 Truth Stabilisers (See below). 40% chance of transporting a contained High Reality Object or Person.</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Surreal Rifles</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The squad uses specially prepared bullets or grenades that lower the reality field of anything they hit. If used against a high-reality entity, they lower the entity's reality field enough for it to be injured. If the bullets hit anything with a normal reality threshold (like a human) the damage is catastrophic. Roll on this table when you're hit by one.</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>The wound warps into abstract shapes which vibrate, dripping with ichor.</li><li>One of your limbs slowly begins dripping away like candlewax and forming abstract patterns in the dirt.</li><li>Your body warps to form a gigantic hole around the area hit by the bullet. Strangely, you are still able to function with the hole in your body.</li><li>Your mind begins to bleed into other dimensions. The difference between the past, the present and the future begins to blur for you. You are not sure whether this is actually happening, or if it's a premonition, or a memory of the past.</li><li>The wound begins to form writhing twisted animal-creatres which split off from you and skitter away.</li><li>The amount of space you take up begins to fluctuate. One moment you are enormous, you fill the room. The next moment you are tiny.</li><li>You become stretched out on the Z-Axis, like your body is a piece of taffy that has been violently pulled upwards.</li><li>You find it hard to interface with physical objects. You jitter in and out of the floor, no-clipping like a video-game glitch.</li><li>You begin to lose sense of your own personhood. You think you are the other people in the room. You take actions as if you are them.</li><li>Your body in the area of the wound slowly turns inside-out. You are still able to function somehow.</li></ol><div><b>Truth Stabilisers</b></div></div><div><div><br /></div></div><div>Tripods with a bristling machine-egg of wires and nodules on top. They vibrate and hum softly, emitting a dark violet corona. These machines stabilise existence by setting what is "True" in a 20ft area. They enforce basic rules of reality (For example, gravity points towards the earth). These are incredibly expensive and only used rarely in the most catastrophic reality breaks. </div><div><br /></div><div>A skilled technician (or a PC who passes a difficult skill check) can alter the settings to change basic rules of reality in a 20ft area. For example, you could reverse gravity within 20 feet. This can have ruinous effects, especially when weilded by an untrained person. They take about 10 minutes to set up in an area. </div><div><br /></div><div>Here are some ideas for basic truths that you could change with a truth stabiliser. All effects only reach 20 feet. </div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>The force and power of gravity is 9.807 m/s² on earth.</li><li>Gravity points towards the earth.</li><li>Human bodies are made of flesh, blood, and water. </li><li>Art is not alive. Inanimate objects do not move or have sentient thought.</li><li>Solid objects cannot pass through each other. </li><li>Light travels at 299 792 458 m/s. </li><li>It is impossible to make a thermodynamic process that is perfectly efficient (ie, a perpetual motion machine). <div class="di8g3 ChOqnd" style="background-color: white; bottom: -20px; color: #70757a; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; right: 20px;"><div class="XTgbhc" style="display: inline-block; margin-right: -20px;"><div class="QkCS1c" data-additional-product-data="" data-attr-id="education/calculator" data-bucket="static_calculator" data-product-id="5280500" data-query="" data-rved="CalculatorOneBox" data-vertical-id="EDUCATION" jscontroller="Pt3gL" style="display: flex; justify-content: flex-end;"></div></div></div></li><li>Free will is an illusion. </li><li>Humans must breathe air to survive.</li><li>An object in motion stays in motion. An object at rest stays at rest. </li></ol><div>The more powerful the basic truth you attempt to change, the more power the Truth Stabiliser will need to function. Great truths would need an entire dedicated power plant to break for a sustained period of time. When misused, Truth Stabilisers can easily malfunction and warp reality out of control.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Some theories suggest that the basic physical laws of Earth are maintained by a giant Truth Stabiliser, somewhere deep below the tectonic plates.</div>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13576384742168685922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5198965507306079094.post-71661681979629563522023-01-06T17:59:00.007-08:002023-01-09T20:31:12.958-08:00Megamall23, week 1: The Avenue<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSiiocBmbdL8vXpk9LCNCmlA9Ms3Lgj5zhobZme1TPzxH_aRM8V6iUkPOJpquW_gqhEsqnUj0JzaSCyvh85w3YgASGf0esV0FBG3ghN4EXqDr9jOKD9SGGnhdWiGXbuks2s0LQ601r6gP_Z5HM0vyrxUZ0ttmz1Ae8tpSiLteS3im0za3DDAuOOTV0/s4624/20230107_105744.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSiiocBmbdL8vXpk9LCNCmlA9Ms3Lgj5zhobZme1TPzxH_aRM8V6iUkPOJpquW_gqhEsqnUj0JzaSCyvh85w3YgASGf0esV0FBG3ghN4EXqDr9jOKD9SGGnhdWiGXbuks2s0LQ601r6gP_Z5HM0vyrxUZ0ttmz1Ae8tpSiLteS3im0za3DDAuOOTV0/s320/20230107_105744.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Here's the start of my <a href="http://rottenpulp.blogspot.com/search/label/Megamall23">Dungeon23 project</a>. I don't think I'll be able to post an update here every week, but I wanted to start out with an update. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I stole the layout of the real <a href="https://www.americandream.com/">American Dream mall</a> and cut it into rough dungeon sections to get me started. I decided a horizontal layout would be best. Not only does it evoke an actual Megamall better, it also helps make sure the space is naturally <a href="https://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/13085/roleplaying-games/jaquaying-the-dungeon">jacquayed</a>. This space automatically has a lot of entrances and connections between sections. The players immediately have a lot of choices about where they want to go. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigjkGn4B6GSIqrSGXuxGFhwBtj-PezWj3ClusgLcRbrjDHBO3IuH20E8u7nw2dL75DsCCP9QUGOJgDj3fbAXZU3yLoZj8KWr1Cht8EC_DnfAbOFX4hSf_LVauO-DohiU3WDSa7mEOuIaXLOHE2fGqt0lSGlp5WwCo_89MKp5JTpkyvJ3rv8MG_AFDV/s4624/20230107_105818.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigjkGn4B6GSIqrSGXuxGFhwBtj-PezWj3ClusgLcRbrjDHBO3IuH20E8u7nw2dL75DsCCP9QUGOJgDj3fbAXZU3yLoZj8KWr1Cht8EC_DnfAbOFX4hSf_LVauO-DohiU3WDSa7mEOuIaXLOHE2fGqt0lSGlp5WwCo_89MKp5JTpkyvJ3rv8MG_AFDV/s320/20230107_105818.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The sections will go up in difficulty / level as I go on - section 1 is the easiest, then 2, etc. Section 12 in the center will be sealed off from the rest of the dungeon and hard to get into. It'll be the most difficult section, where the CEO and seven founders all meet together.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The first section for january will be <b>The Avenue. </b>This is the ritzy, luxury, art deco section. High fashion, jewellery, expensive homewares, cafes, etc. It's ruled by the Head of Apparel. The entrance lies through a luxury hotel with it's own golf course. This first week detailed the first floor of that hotel. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLJRQoRMhsbrL-cLJa05U_e19NhTRdHvWIhrpLda4SLQxf4BvdYTDMcyCf7MRG9fx_E8QdQFrR4lFX2-sZdr6kMXfmfI4TVWC0wlFEkhuQfx522Ijp6LqmA5e4PFWKCBr_LQ1yXEc2E02Ixu2biFnd7KZVkrrjoJv1AefDod2damoYpEOsmq8ULcH1/s4624/20230107_105806.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="3468" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLJRQoRMhsbrL-cLJa05U_e19NhTRdHvWIhrpLda4SLQxf4BvdYTDMcyCf7MRG9fx_E8QdQFrR4lFX2-sZdr6kMXfmfI4TVWC0wlFEkhuQfx522Ijp6LqmA5e4PFWKCBr_LQ1yXEc2E02Ixu2biFnd7KZVkrrjoJv1AefDod2damoYpEOsmq8ULcH1/s320/20230107_105806.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="text-align: center;">Here's the random encounter table for this section. </span>Apologies that my writing is atrocious. I've decided not to spend too much time cleaning things up to avoid burnout. Maybe once a month I can clean up the section into something more readable - we'll see how I go. <div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEildFZww78MvbfBDUuZqu4PDNAaasDa5EADbHOlGlFK_2kx7Y2ZVaxNDsbph7G6RGihsMHeoR24Uc2srbm7K-ykflsPYW19HsiqH57U7OZZZxXvA0QB1FlI3j93qIOG-2ld7vkj8dhHbI-F92cvLlcsHvXPlZbKE9QZsu4WJaJ9yzeQBoqJvlAd67zl/s4624/20230107_110906.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="3468" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEildFZww78MvbfBDUuZqu4PDNAaasDa5EADbHOlGlFK_2kx7Y2ZVaxNDsbph7G6RGihsMHeoR24Uc2srbm7K-ykflsPYW19HsiqH57U7OZZZxXvA0QB1FlI3j93qIOG-2ld7vkj8dhHbI-F92cvLlcsHvXPlZbKE9QZsu4WJaJ9yzeQBoqJvlAd67zl/s320/20230107_110906.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The entrance in the hotel leads up to the guest rooms. I've decided to make this the last space I write. These rooms can be where a lot of the notable NPC's in the dungeon actually live. I want to have that feeling like the beginning of Deus Ex where you can sneak through everyone's offices and read their emails. So this space will be a huge source of foreshadowing and information - you can sneak in, go through everyone's stuff, read their emails, and get info on all the major NPC's of the dungeon. The basic map template is from Silent Hill 2.</div><div><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">The Head of Apparel</h2><div><br /></div><p>This section is run by the Head of Apparel, an Art Gorgon. Everything they look at turns to art. They wear big mirrored circle shades. When they remove them, their eyes are pure white and blinding. The sun appears behind their head. Doves may be heard. Whoever they look at is instantly transformed into a gorgeous work of avant-guarde art.</p><ol><li>A living 2D mosaic, smashed into the floor. Can navigate 2D planes. </li><li>A statue of glass, still alive and can move but easily broken.</li><li>Jewels that quickly fall apart and scatter across the floor. Ruby lips, diamond eyes.</li><li>A frozen marble sculpture with veins of black gold running through it.</li><li>An abstract picasso-esque painting blasted onto the wall. Can navigate 2D planes. </li><li>A living outfit, still sentient, can move but can do little without being worn. Wearable art.</li></ol><div><p>They used to be the assistant to the old head of apparel, who was a Devil Wears Prada figure. They plotted against her and overcame her in a coup, transforming her into a living mosaic who now slides across the floors and walls in the dark places of the avenue, devouring consumers and plotting revenge.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiK14tjT6m2taUOB2OzgVa1g3RQ4IaCHy8SFgrvjNZTDR7L6dW4Fe6utD3y3qrN9O0s7ekdn_SRRmGuCWR7HHR0_XOR16K5LAH4MdaCAOpkC9koGivUqnI2POxTy5q8MJNsadSaOvGGXemTbVYPESasqSNR9fR2e01abaFDDYdMIfFGhDCWw1Jcgvl4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiK14tjT6m2taUOB2OzgVa1g3RQ4IaCHy8SFgrvjNZTDR7L6dW4Fe6utD3y3qrN9O0s7ekdn_SRRmGuCWR7HHR0_XOR16K5LAH4MdaCAOpkC9koGivUqnI2POxTy5q8MJNsadSaOvGGXemTbVYPESasqSNR9fR2e01abaFDDYdMIfFGhDCWw1Jcgvl4=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></div><p></p></div><p>They've been faking it until they make it for so long that they don't really know who they are anymore. They just keep going, burnt out, exhausted. How did they end up this way? They had all the warnings. Everyone told them about the rat race. The corporate machine. Now they're immersed in the rat race up to their neck. The machine got them in the end, and they are being processed. Nowhere to go but forward. Nothing to do but keep going.</p><p>I'm thinking their outfit is a bound demon, traitor to it's kind. The two are locked in a toxic relationship and the demon constantly pushes them to gain more and more power.</p><p></p></div>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13576384742168685922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5198965507306079094.post-73378581686828257432022-12-30T20:02:00.008-08:002023-01-09T20:32:55.991-08:00MEGAMALL23<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg13aq_SlBjiCbt_Z28LqfuDcTsPVFgmaU1DbPVm-emP66hr2lsuHLK2vK7QZrCMMUkpRessbSWjWPoUdxTBDpcHzGZAP1Md335_vuQ8WbZlvIZnoGbKrNyQ6tt9nWwyG5Y6iHr6uIG7H7F8eTYym0FvU6qIiMV172y4j_V9krbx4nvRwtZZjo-ni39" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg13aq_SlBjiCbt_Z28LqfuDcTsPVFgmaU1DbPVm-emP66hr2lsuHLK2vK7QZrCMMUkpRessbSWjWPoUdxTBDpcHzGZAP1Md335_vuQ8WbZlvIZnoGbKrNyQ6tt9nWwyG5Y6iHr6uIG7H7F8eTYym0FvU6qIiMV172y4j_V9krbx4nvRwtZZjo-ni39=w320-h400" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>I am joining the <a href="https://seanmccoy.substack.com/p/dungeon23">dungeon23</a> craze. If you haven't heard of it, Dungeon23 means writing 1 room of a dungeon each day, every day in 2023. My project will be an dying cyclopean Megamall in the same modern horror setting as <a href="http://rottenpulp.blogspot.com/search/label/No-one%20gets%20out%20alive">these monsters</a>. <div><br />This vast decaying megamall has lain outside your home town for as long as you can remember. Your parents remember the days when they used to shop there. You grew up with stories of the wondrous things they bought. The light and sound and colour. The air inside smelled of popcorn and sweet syrup and caramel. It was a magical place. A dream. </div><div><br /></div><div>Things have changed. The lights flicker and fade. Huge sections of the mall lie empty and dark. Sometimes you think you can glimpse unknown constellations or planets inside the glass domes. Twisted shapes scuttle within. But still, people come. They flood into the mall from all across the country. They can't help themselves. They dream of it. Perhaps somewhere inside, they can finally buy the answer to all their problems.</div><div><br /></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjP0svjtuv7XPd8oO8QzhqqtwbmP-Gkd5bOLQd1qhEMbCtliC8JwUWnAtfyVjrTG7GNMaxjVaULTrf_Ha0YDQwIM4-4UdoetioFhgb9aOYMR02PCoUtPsLfSljrVgxI-xRZz12xWKbvzWJOalh2BD8wo1gMbo1qSobrwacjFk4YZTB1l3-D3Kjbl3vN" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="564" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjP0svjtuv7XPd8oO8QzhqqtwbmP-Gkd5bOLQd1qhEMbCtliC8JwUWnAtfyVjrTG7GNMaxjVaULTrf_Ha0YDQwIM4-4UdoetioFhgb9aOYMR02PCoUtPsLfSljrVgxI-xRZz12xWKbvzWJOalh2BD8wo1gMbo1qSobrwacjFk4YZTB1l3-D3Kjbl3vN=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiUxv3FkytopW16RztVdKNJXZSnvOUgvFOX_V_24q6jgFN3i0O3mnvJgQOr4etdJ7W5-2Nn1f5ja53vLX0JwUR--gF9w6T8zMU6OuR_rHEPAEcaWpYAuNzi3i44QF29cd9sGUI6Qy4AGjzR6YKlQc1mw9xL-Mc9LLDTV1OwbRBgeTtVJlvgq1Eccdfb" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a></div><div><p>Shopping centers are, I think, the closest thing to a megadungeon that I've ever experienced in real life. Long have I wandered through endless cyclopean hollow parking lots in the dark, searching for a way back to the outside world. </p><p>The Dying Mall is an object of some psychic and symbolic power. A liminal space. They represent cancerous growth and decay. A great capitalist organism struggling to drag itself out of the mire. Reading about them is something that has always interested me. It's a natural fit for a megadungeon. </p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p><i>In recent years, the number of dead malls increased significantly in the early 21st century because the economic health of malls across the United States has been in decline, as identified by high vacancy rates. </i>-Wikipedia.</p></div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjO4Lu7L_brV6zP5P5sUMi-zjJmE0b3sSkoMndhrh6LVmJPP8HxRyEfV9zuHZJOiCzXfKw-J0EM-alhMx23I8XhwBuBDyX1k87jqKDWvaiRdhKOMoLZhrKiliriJ0zPxXoSo1kP2a_Pu9vgfv4PGZH7rJO3w3PgLNFTQO6SwndR-Mg_SQrRytw1qkZs" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="374" data-original-width="563" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjO4Lu7L_brV6zP5P5sUMi-zjJmE0b3sSkoMndhrh6LVmJPP8HxRyEfV9zuHZJOiCzXfKw-J0EM-alhMx23I8XhwBuBDyX1k87jqKDWvaiRdhKOMoLZhrKiliriJ0zPxXoSo1kP2a_Pu9vgfv4PGZH7rJO3w3PgLNFTQO6SwndR-Mg_SQrRytw1qkZs=w400-h266" width="400" /></a><span style="text-align: right;"> </span></div><div><h3 style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></h3><h3 style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Influences</h3><div><br /></div><div>I'm heavily inspired by Yuppie Psycho, which is a Corporate Office Horror Megadungeon. You are recruited to a new job. The office building is effectively a haunted megadungeon where you still have to try and get work done despire the horrors inside. (I would love to see this made into an RPG dungeon too, but maybe another time). Silent Hill 2 and Lone Survivor are also big influences.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiUnLazjHQ47oEQUmchQaq__0QJvLy7wYrEuZlHCmV8yIJGLXcBymNlNDj63SSe1CHlNT1yCG0OKJLfvY_hQzMhKSdnwVDXGQmq_Efw5x1_mrW1WzTKJ-Qe52-UAfFWSCOwXzR9Rf--_dsF1xYMRYL7xO4K8kD5-8h0-j73xBDlPDu6gv539GLzNBrK" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiUnLazjHQ47oEQUmchQaq__0QJvLy7wYrEuZlHCmV8yIJGLXcBymNlNDj63SSe1CHlNT1yCG0OKJLfvY_hQzMhKSdnwVDXGQmq_Efw5x1_mrW1WzTKJ-Qe52-UAfFWSCOwXzR9Rf--_dsF1xYMRYL7xO4K8kD5-8h0-j73xBDlPDu6gv539GLzNBrK" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiTuB0I1aic-M4D1IKcnLfuDEjZ9hmlDYIxUwAKg_3CAm4gDNwZfDVe3p9fxowulh2Pj8yzd6-Tn_4Yf35LL5pBFfoXKGM3lAI07IKJPA18QIUk42X-qDZeL_xcYjj1fobuL8As0HPRy7adAv3mjDphlvF4UOIMgYdYWXp09HQBhDNU1WaQSgJ_63CY" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="787" data-original-width="1400" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiTuB0I1aic-M4D1IKcnLfuDEjZ9hmlDYIxUwAKg_3CAm4gDNwZfDVe3p9fxowulh2Pj8yzd6-Tn_4Yf35LL5pBFfoXKGM3lAI07IKJPA18QIUk42X-qDZeL_xcYjj1fobuL8As0HPRy7adAv3mjDphlvF4UOIMgYdYWXp09HQBhDNU1WaQSgJ_63CY" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Characters: </b>Like Bioshock, I would like to have many sections of the mall commanded by larger-than-life charismatic yet unhinged villains who represent specific philosophies. I want the dungeon to have a lot of interesting NPC's with competing goals. Character as a pillar just as much as exploration and probably more than combat.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Soundtrack:</b> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/0Z5FMozvx15nUSUA6a9kkU">The Comet Is Coming.</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qImHuiYnVQ0&ab_channel=NeilCicieregaMusic">Redesign your logo</a>.<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JELt1jxJsHQ&ab_channel=SoulSearchAndDestroy">Welcome to the Lobby</a>. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hEAiV9MatA&ab_channel=CryCaf%C3%A9">Silent Hill 2 Chillwave</a>. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVyE4vt9OQ0&ab_channel=LostSounds">This</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div><b>Moments of hope and normalcy.</b></div><div>I really love this in Yuppie Psycho, Lone Survivor and Silent Hill 2. Yes, it's a horror game. But the horror is elevated by these strange, surreal moments of peace and hope, where things almost seem normal. People have conversations with you as if nothing is wrong. You sit and look at the stars. In Yuppie Psycho, you can rest in the office breakroom and continue an office romance. I would like "safe" areas in the mall like this. </div><div><br /></div><div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Inspiration Template: American Dream Miami.</h3><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOIpf-dlpgy0LDnOGogmoKlR-iYmxK-IT2fxU_Q17-xd8w3baS06Efs1RbwsooLjrJxfU67eNcOFFf4k4xHEnRpmZk30xkqYGUUyP28xGND3RxkBEzSQ6tO4oGGBitC2s7ODKm1TlzVzZWcIdbAOENmSiq00c-QFCmzyDhAM3DXO28ztjQrFHO9pV0/s800/Z3EHMCQDRVFRPHBHP4C3HTWGYM.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOIpf-dlpgy0LDnOGogmoKlR-iYmxK-IT2fxU_Q17-xd8w3baS06Efs1RbwsooLjrJxfU67eNcOFFf4k4xHEnRpmZk30xkqYGUUyP28xGND3RxkBEzSQ6tO4oGGBitC2s7ODKm1TlzVzZWcIdbAOENmSiq00c-QFCmzyDhAM3DXO28ztjQrFHO9pV0/w400-h225/Z3EHMCQDRVFRPHBHP4C3HTWGYM.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div></div><div>American Dream (formerly titled Xanadu) seems like the perfect template to use for inspiration. The floor plan is on <a href="http://www.miamidade.gov/planning/library/reports/planning-documents/2015-11-transportation-report.pdf">page 51 here</a>.</div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The 6.2-million-square-foot mall, under development by the Triple Five Group, would be the largest in North America with 3.5 million square feet of retail stores, 2,000 hotel rooms, a 370,000-square-foot theme park, 370,000-square-foot water park, a 200,000-square-foot indoor ski slope, movie theaters, a sports center, outdoor fishing center, miniature golf course, live entertainment venue, plus attractions the developer is calling Submarine Lake, Art Deco Village and Tivoli Garden. - <a href="https://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-american-dream-miami-mega-mall-unveils-floor-plan-20160114-story.html">Sun Sentinel</a>.</i></div></div></div></div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-3ZcFguYn3U" width="320" youtube-src-id="-3ZcFguYn3U"></iframe></div><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Escalators that lead to nowhere. Liminal spaces. It's perfect. American Dream might be a bit too on-the-nose as a name even for me, though. Xanadu isn't bad. For now let's give this megadungeon the working title of Dreams MegaMall.</div><div><br /></div><div>I think the easiest way to get started making the dungeon will be to take a map of an actual mall layout, print it out, and just scribble all over it. New pathways, blocked passages and corridors creating a new landscape. Like the maps in Silent Hill. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhEGvmYN3ckmn-dvSZKOOW1Nt8o9qDS0FNaQnK0Gems0Z9jZpcU3IB57CYa9Gffm1l0dmAcAZEz4f7jCMVwqYInkFkpzKdCgdwJCoPznYrGMECT0pUtulLICp7Er3u8jtO9DbOktEqD49AxDAnxoGuS1TU2cHECsgsNY6HaE7oz1HVTQCAUFpWalcBX" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="174" data-original-width="250" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhEGvmYN3ckmn-dvSZKOOW1Nt8o9qDS0FNaQnK0Gems0Z9jZpcU3IB57CYa9Gffm1l0dmAcAZEz4f7jCMVwqYInkFkpzKdCgdwJCoPznYrGMECT0pUtulLICp7Er3u8jtO9DbOktEqD49AxDAnxoGuS1TU2cHECsgsNY6HaE7oz1HVTQCAUFpWalcBX" width="320" /></a></div><br />The players would get the printed map of the mall, but the situation on the ground would be very different. They would need to mark their map to show the different blocked passages, etc. Ideally it would be nice to create a full information pamphlet with hints about the different areas and cool things to find, like this.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjra83zyEJjInztFkF_r6bqw-5pFtP8pJXP4RNGtHO4890WO2QDVKH4mUul7q3fwecsd5p-1P20ZOTRt5zvdHksABEOQDRDqfn66iLnf8UaJ9MGcpybTxrRfUATaK6FDLb-tE0S1MSFE7Rty5EcLvI1ZF4yHdw_XpRNwKqMoWSfwjYtnOmD2UMMZkHr" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="590" data-original-width="590" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjra83zyEJjInztFkF_r6bqw-5pFtP8pJXP4RNGtHO4890WO2QDVKH4mUul7q3fwecsd5p-1P20ZOTRt5zvdHksABEOQDRDqfn66iLnf8UaJ9MGcpybTxrRfUATaK6FDLb-tE0S1MSFE7Rty5EcLvI1ZF4yHdw_XpRNwKqMoWSfwjYtnOmD2UMMZkHr" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div>I'm not sure whether it's better to have a horizontal layout, like American Dream, or vertical levels like a classic dungeon. What do you think?</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgI1rHoL6r_wzsV-fCSSntk2dndBhA5rOojSCT86_eNpFrvLlEuShZtrgmswCBNjlEj0ZNMrd0KbYjRlzLGseJ3l5fr0uMs4cAyy6qCrtd2VVaPFmZ5pXuzHiraRf_YPHusA0qbiwNCf2zzJThMMjqAc6IvRzN9Yl9IEIhUJwcA5QPRwCYCtQ60Go1X" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1210" data-original-width="861" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgI1rHoL6r_wzsV-fCSSntk2dndBhA5rOojSCT86_eNpFrvLlEuShZtrgmswCBNjlEj0ZNMrd0KbYjRlzLGseJ3l5fr0uMs4cAyy6qCrtd2VVaPFmZ5pXuzHiraRf_YPHusA0qbiwNCf2zzJThMMjqAc6IvRzN9Yl9IEIhUJwcA5QPRwCYCtQ60Go1X" width="213" /></a></div><div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Potential factions</h3></div><div><ol><li><b>Living adverts. </b>Digital after-images that have gained sentience and can follow you in reflections, TV static, computer monitors. They can mess with your digital life (your social media, email, online bank account, etc) or influence you through dreams and subconcious thought. They live perfect but hollow ad lives and desperately wish for the gritty trauma and grief of real life.</li><li><b>Market Research Cabal. </b>Forced out of the offices and into the sewers, they try to regain control over their rogue creations. Through experiments in behavioural psychology they are attempting to finally gain a perfect understanding of Humanity. When they achieve this, it will give them total control and influence over Consumer Behaviour. Their areas of the mall are GladOS style, full of tests and traps, elaborate framed situations with Secret Shoppers pretending to be in danger to gauge your response for their research. They are led by the <b>Head of Marketing</b>, one of the 7 founders. </li><li><b>Cargo Cult Trash Folk. </b>They worship the trash queens and live in the <a href="http://rottenpulp.blogspot.com/2022/01/entity-01-dimensional-trash-anomaly.html">garbage dimension</a>. They steal things from the mall and are attempting to create a utopian society in the ruins of the old. They primarily use guns and hunting tools recovered from the camping, boating and fishing sections. Their survivalist society is led by the <b>Head of Outdoors, </b>one of the 7 founders who seceded from the rest. </li><li><b>Mall Cops. </b>Bio-mechanical surveillance camera horrors that attempt to safeguard the sancity of the mall. They command an army of machine-insects of every type that patrol the halls at night. Work for the mysterious <b>CEO</b>, one of the 7 founders. The CEO hears the voice of The Board and carries out its will on earth. </li><li><b>Consumers. </b>Hapless shoppers who are still drawn into the mall, even now, by the intoxicating dreams they suffer each night. As long as they continue to pay, follow the laws, and avoid the restricted sections, they will remain unharmed by ancient compact. Slowly their obsession with the mall will consume them, converting them over time into feasting horrors ala No-Face from Spirited Away. </li><li><b>Booth Babes. </b>High Fashion models of all genders, superhumanly attractive. They believe fashion is Sin - Original Sin. Each piece of clothing is literally a bound demon, cut and sewn into intoxicating shapes and colours. Every outfit is a masterpiece, and can twist and change to give them terrifying abilities and transformations. They are slowly spreading their clothing throughout the mall and the world - on command, each piece of clothing will devour its wearer and usher in a new age. Ruled by the <b>Head of Apparel</b>, one of the 7 founders. </li><li><b>Gremlins. </b>These grease-monkeys look like chaotic many-limbed soot-creatures.Their nature and goals are unknown. They attempt to control the rogue subway that distorts time and space as it pushes through the ruins of the megamall for unknown ends. They infest the maintenance tunnels, elevator shafts and byways of the mall. Machines spark and go havoc at their touch. They have kidnapped the <b>Head of Distribution</b>, one of the 7 founders. </li><li><b>Warehouse workers.</b> Leaderless without the Head of Distribution, they still soldier on and attempt to keep the mall stocked with goods. They are slaves to <a href="https://weirdfictionreview.com/2011/12/the-red-tower-by-thomas-ligotti/">The Red Tower</a>, the heart of the mall, a dripping meat-factory that endlessly produces things of no discernable purpose. Perhaps once the tower kept the mall supplied with valuable inventory, but increasingly now it churns out revolting hyper-organisms which the workers (terrified for their jobs) keep pushing out onto the shelves. They are paid in scrip which can only be spent at the mall itself. Their goal is to survive and keep their jobs at all costs.</li><li><b>Gardeners. </b>Hermetic fungus-folk. Some of them may look human at first, but with many small holes or pores throughout their body. They open up their bodies to reveal beautiful gardens sprouting in their chest cavities. They rule over the supermarkets and food courts, which have overgrown into lush gardens of fat and sugar. Their goal is to live in harmony with nature and destroy all machines - but their version of "Nature" is fundamentally artificial. They have not seen the outside sky in decades. They whisper of the <b>Head of Produce</b>, one of the 7 founders.</li><li><b>Teeth Farmers. </b>Rulers of the pharmacy, medical and dental sections. Masters of turning your own teeth, your own skin, and your own blood against you. They nuture the teeth-golems, former patients. There is nothing to worry about, the <b>Head of Medical</b> assures the members of the board. The teeth are completely contained.</li><li>The <b>Beverage Partners Worldwide Paramilitary Death Squad </b>are responsible for protecting the interests of Beverage Partners Worldwide and ensuring there are no issues with the coke supply. All water in the facility has been replaced with a supply of delicious, fresh-flowing coke. Soon, the entire water supply of the entire country will be upgraded in the same way. The coke is laced with paristic entities (To be detailed in a later blog post). This mall is their test case and they will not brook any interference. </li><li><b>The Board. </b>A <a href="https://control.fandom.com/wiki/The_Board">shadowy paranatural entity</a> from outside space and time. It controls the mall and pushes it to grow endlessly for unseen ends. It appears in the dreams of all high-level mall executives and issues cryptic commands. It can be seen in endless graffiti and shadows and reflections all around the mall. It's true purpose and nature is unknown. </li><li><b>Creditors. </b>The mall is deeply in debt and these executives are here to recoup their investment - by force, if necessary. </li><li><b><a href="http://rottenpulp.blogspot.com/2022/10/entity-05-ghost-branch.html">Ghost Branch</a></b>. The mall is haunted by the collective ghosts of all the stores it put out of business. They roll across the mall, causing abandonment zones. When you enter a haunted zone the fog rises. The mall around you immediately seems abandoned, decayed, empty. Their goal is to finally drag the mall into bankruptcy in revenge - then they can pass on in peace. </li></ol></div></div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjqI2KTfLUuM4_x7h5ouaMP9OOu-m8mvt_gLn7hrC1pjOgeyH6bw-3awNoIsD95nqC3-9hTp3wJFwyvTRbK11kjIzW2sDIUJ5_Yjs3cWe_F-GR01M_wJtnNiN3a662Sl4ALTkPgLy8yP53oZBzhmdot3Fdb9-00Jd8KJ2-NowVeHripW_1SfQIST9QW" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjqI2KTfLUuM4_x7h5ouaMP9OOu-m8mvt_gLn7hrC1pjOgeyH6bw-3awNoIsD95nqC3-9hTp3wJFwyvTRbK11kjIzW2sDIUJ5_Yjs3cWe_F-GR01M_wJtnNiN3a662Sl4ALTkPgLy8yP53oZBzhmdot3Fdb9-00Jd8KJ2-NowVeHripW_1SfQIST9QW" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhe7StmG4covd-djReFvB43C_Mo7BF9VTtquwVaQYRPo3DkvYI-GCkxqUhlY9DNK9g995-7g51OoYqetvm--fpMj5HQmygPn1ChBG7lAUds5gHI5fuMK1Jc6CCNP_DWb-lL_COecjFQffRyV4uRK59rmRcZBt2Tf8HVV-OLB8JowPJMIqMl7u1BmokL" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="576" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhe7StmG4covd-djReFvB43C_Mo7BF9VTtquwVaQYRPo3DkvYI-GCkxqUhlY9DNK9g995-7g51OoYqetvm--fpMj5HQmygPn1ChBG7lAUds5gHI5fuMK1Jc6CCNP_DWb-lL_COecjFQffRyV4uRK59rmRcZBt2Tf8HVV-OLB8JowPJMIqMl7u1BmokL=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Potential Sections</h3></div><div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Subway.</b> A mobile dungeon level. The plan was to have a monorail inside the mall that could quickly whisk you around the complex. Now this train distorts time and space as it pushes through the ruins of the megamall for unknown ends. You can use it for transport but it obeys no human whims and may disgorge you into unknown places that you will not survive. </li><li><b>Food Court.</b> The garden overflowing and lush now, the whole floor flooded with koi ponds, fragrant sugar and crackling fat, delicacies of every type.</li><ol><li><b>Groceries. </b>Supermarkets and produce stores.</li></ol><li><b>Theme Park. </b>A theme park inside the mall that still works, barely. Includes sections for bowling, minigolf, ice skating, etc. Roller coasters, water slides, rides, concession stands, carnival games.</li><li><b>Submarine Lake. </b>An artifical lake inside the mall. Boat rides and jet skis. </li><li><b>International Ski Dome. </b>A working indoor ski-slope and snow zone, with a ski lift. Powered by faulty wiring.</li><li><b>Central Control. </b>Marketing, centre management, the hub that controls the entire operation. The centre of the glass onion. A dome of concentric steel helixes, very difficult to enter. Has descended into a cargo cult that worships the mall. Office space, marketing, executive suites, a warren of cubicles. </li><li><b>Maintenance. </b>The maze of tunnels and byways and secret hatches that connects the entire complex, still patrolled by weary workers that are being slowly converted into machines. The dungeon levels are all connected by elevators, but most of them don't work. To get them working again, you might need to clear blockages in the elevator shafts (eg destroy a giant mechaspider in a shaft) or reactivate power. </li><ol><li>Includes: <b>Parking. </b>Endless, cavernous underground spaces that seem to go on forever without limit.</li></ol><li><b>Distribution. </b>Distribution center, deliveries, and the Red Tower that provides goods for the whole mall. </li><li><b>The Avenue. </b>An Art Deco high-class luxury section, ultra expensive. High fashion, apparel, furniture, expensive homewares.</li><ol><li>Includes: <b>Luxury Hotel. </b>A hotel in the mall itself, including guest rooms, restaurant, spa, pool, gym, and a golf course.</li></ol><li><b>Theatre. </b>On one side is an arcade and movie theatre. On the other side is an actual stage production theatre. Arcade, movies, parts where you can dive into virtual reality and explore a virtual world for secrets.</li><ol><li>Includes: <b>Entertainment. </b>Books, toys, board games, electronics, hardware and software.</li></ol><li><b>Medical centre. </b>Pharmacy, doctors, Teeth Farmers.</li><ol><li>Includes: <b>Pets. </b>Animals gone wild and rabid.</li></ol><li><b>Trash Dimension. </b>Remains of the outdoor department (fishing, camping, boating, etc). You can only enter it if you're kidnapped by the <a href="http://rottenpulp.blogspot.com/2022/01/entity-01-dimensional-trash-anomaly.html">Dimensional Trash Anomalies</a>.</li></ol><div>Finally, here are some tables to help inspire me on this journey. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgJvh_aJ9_EEE7rkDQwx49f8lfoI0YV91AnyctXguQ0-ROKWmRhR9Gix4hupfkmFZQ_DyUJ0wIrxPz9lvL6UrXAqZkJGvVj_q6jAVIgEdGc6dPOfjHIYJQETDMJv8y-NK5npzBZGxEIurPGgkQgHydaK6i-ThTDzWFPpfyRWUnU-GVzfvBWNHfX2eRP" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="564" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgJvh_aJ9_EEE7rkDQwx49f8lfoI0YV91AnyctXguQ0-ROKWmRhR9Gix4hupfkmFZQ_DyUJ0wIrxPz9lvL6UrXAqZkJGvVj_q6jAVIgEdGc6dPOfjHIYJQETDMJv8y-NK5npzBZGxEIurPGgkQgHydaK6i-ThTDzWFPpfyRWUnU-GVzfvBWNHfX2eRP=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div><ol></ol></div></div></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">100 room ideas</h3><ol><li>Art Gallery</li><li>Automotive Showroom</li><li>Bakery</li><li>Beauty Salon</li><li>Barbershop</li><li>Book Store</li><li>Cafe</li><li>Cake Shop</li><li>Candy Store</li><li>Clothing Store</li><li>Collectables</li><li>Confectionary</li><li>Convenience store</li><li>Craft Shop</li><li>Delicatessen</li><li>Discount Shop</li><li>DIY Shop</li><li>Donut Shop</li><li>Dress Shop</li><li>Dry Cleaner</li><li>Duty-Free Shop</li><li>Electronics Store</li><li>Fabric / Sewing Supplies</li><li>Farmers Market</li><li>Fashion Boutique</li><li>Fast Food Restaurant</li><li>Fruit Market</li><li>Furniture Store</li><li>Garden Center</li><li>Gas Station</li><li>General Store</li><li>Gift Shop</li><li>Hobby Shop</li><li>Home Decor</li><li>Home Improvement</li><li>Imported Goods</li><li>Jeweller</li><li>Junk Shop</li><li>Pop-up Kiosk</li><li>Kitchen Store</li><li>Liquidator</li><li>Mattress Store</li><li>Mechanic / Garage</li><li>Music Shop</li><li>News Agent</li><li>Fishing Store</li><li>Camping Store</li><li>Boating Store</li><li>Patisserie</li><li>Pharmacy</li><li>Pop Culture</li><li>Service Center</li><li>Software / Video Game / Technology</li><li>Souvenir Shop</li><li>Stationary</li><li>Sports store</li><li>Supermarket</li><li>Tailor</li><li>Rainwater Harvesting System</li><li>Tattoo Shop</li><li>Travel Agent</li><li>Hunting / Gun Store</li><li>Vegetable Market</li><li>Wholesaler</li><li>Ski Slope</li><li>Arts Center</li><li>Concert</li><li>Spa</li><li>Go karts</li><li>Balloon rides</li><li>Bowling</li><li>Billiards</li><li>Underwater Aquarium</li><li>Dinosaur Walk Museum</li><li>Steakhouse</li><li>Elevators / Escalators</li><li>Parking</li><li>Footwear</li><li>Make-Up / Cosmetics</li><li>Parenting and Babies</li><li>Banking</li><li>Nail Salon</li><li>Pet Store</li><li>Office Space</li><li>Hotel / Guest Suites</li><li>Toy Store</li><li>Electronics and Hardware</li><li>Arcade </li><li>Movie Theatre</li><li>Mechanical Rides</li><li>Security / Info booth</li><li>Water Fountain / Waterfall / Koi Pond</li><li>Tobacconist</li><li>Tattoo Artist</li><li>Hardware store</li><li>Optometrist</li><li>Perfume</li><li>Mall Santa kiosk</li><li>Restrooms</li><li>Picture Booth</li></ol><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg-6l2cWstQqzqUaNRbezNr88fX3AmYMvi_EDKCCv2_NnKCalMxBzBdoWfJYQN4p2SlNlOuIMknvi8A-g83HRVRhcKhqmxEyz8-Gu8ROeDMRCYPU7r_mZd64HipnpeGH6_WCOwaJUtFCVVBhFq1YXcK4LLmVlIzZuf_K_CumL7PcNzms1Nv5Gn9g8cC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="564" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg-6l2cWstQqzqUaNRbezNr88fX3AmYMvi_EDKCCv2_NnKCalMxBzBdoWfJYQN4p2SlNlOuIMknvi8A-g83HRVRhcKhqmxEyz8-Gu8ROeDMRCYPU7r_mZd64HipnpeGH6_WCOwaJUtFCVVBhFq1YXcK4LLmVlIzZuf_K_CumL7PcNzms1Nv5Gn9g8cC" width="236" /></a></div><br /></div><div><h3 style="text-align: left;">100 Inspirational Concepts </h3></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Doppelganger</li><li>Radioactive</li><li>Control</li><li>Fungus</li><li>Contrast</li><li>Drowned</li><li>Non-Euclidian</li><li>Recursive</li><li>Unhinged</li><li>Cyclopean</li><li>Sweet</li><li>Childhood</li><li>Time</li><li>Excess</li><li>Decay</li><li>Corpse-fat</li><li>Ghost</li><li>Humanity</li><li>Warmth</li><li>Null-Space</li><li>Bankruptcy</li><li>Limited Time Offer</li><li>Bloom</li><li>Meat</li><li>Ash</li><li>Prophet</li><li>Stars</li><li>Mask</li><li>Sacrifice</li><li>Gold</li><li>Incense</li><li>Glass</li><li>Cancer</li><li>Psychographics</li><li>Emptiness</li><li>Bankruptcy</li><li>Loneliness</li><li>Beauty</li><li>Souls</li><li>Smoke</li><li>Laughter</li><li>Lust</li><li>Primordial</li><li>Bones</li><li>Blood</li><li>Ocean</li><li>Chaos</li><li>Pit</li><li>Empire</li><li>Hive</li><li>Research and Development</li><li>Family</li><li>Rotting</li><li>Shortcut</li><li>Pitch Black</li><li>Advertainment</li><li>Gamification</li><li>Frozen</li><li>Light</li><li>Bridge</li><li>Growth</li><li>Cargo Cult</li><li>Mouth</li><li>Monolith</li><li>Eldritch</li><li>Art</li><li>Tomb</li><li>Sleep</li><li>Bog</li><li>Moonlight</li><li>Dreams</li><li>Babel</li><li>Meta-Narrative</li><li>Infinity</li><li>Quantum Mechanics</li><li>Obsession</li><li>Corruption</li><li>Hollow</li><li>Grinding</li><li>Mystery</li><li>Secret</li><li>Rebirth</li><li>Demon</li><li>Ghoul</li><li>Vampire</li><li>Fire</li><li>Oil</li><li>Glory</li><li>Trap</li><li>Grave</li><li>Asylum</li><li>Space</li><li>Grief</li><li>Hope</li><li>Despair</li><li>Bravery</li><li>Resignation</li><li>Comfort</li><li>Tears</li><li>Curse</li></ol><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhvK5Xd_ylWGJKMWqa32NsY3hoxtBao4sdAxtaKrpPiP8-tfAlep6mb3qvQj9CygubQEabPuRg6JaPB2Duas-kcd6YCsSUs7jCVsW9aGoTcadB5HAy4Ci8-DibxzBt724VRevfWeUxoPxqxQyHhcnRByDCm-h4cTIfZ856rJeX5A9v6r0xtxX84xVaJ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="989" data-original-width="564" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhvK5Xd_ylWGJKMWqa32NsY3hoxtBao4sdAxtaKrpPiP8-tfAlep6mb3qvQj9CygubQEabPuRg6JaPB2Duas-kcd6YCsSUs7jCVsW9aGoTcadB5HAy4Ci8-DibxzBt724VRevfWeUxoPxqxQyHhcnRByDCm-h4cTIfZ856rJeX5A9v6r0xtxX84xVaJ" width="171" /></a></div><br /><br /></div></div><div><h3 style="text-align: left;">52 potential zone inspirations</h3></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Annihilation fungal mutation zone</li><li>Space abyss star galaxy gravity zone</li><li>Fire chaos organic wild growth twist zone</li><li>High fashion Grafitti art living statue surrealism escher zone</li><li>Slow death frost shadows in the ice zone</li><li>Gold chrome molten ornate jewellery zone</li><li>Archaic aquatic corrupt sea vampire zone</li><li>Radioactive dark matter zone</li><li>Time warp memory nostalgia fog zone</li><li>Comforting warm family home unheimlich zone</li><li>Rotting poison disease insect blight zone</li><li>Soft dark quiet tangled forest root zone</li><li>Pitch black ancient cyclopean tomb zone</li><li>Overwrought victorian cathedral blood zone</li><li>Soft crumbling grey ash and quiet zone</li><li>Crooked witchy village pagan sacrifice zone</li><li>Crushing pressure ocean depths bends zone</li><li>Pale skin flap disinfectant sterile zone</li><li>Papery labyrinthine wasp hive zone</li><li>Reflective mirror maze mental prison zone</li><li>Stuffed artefact library museum zone</li><li>The black throne of Azathoth</li><li>Slowly flooding coral cave zone</li><li>Ancient saltworn desert ruin mummified zone</li><li>Twisted carnival zone</li><li>Film noir black coffee lynchzone</li><li>Gambling fortune ritzy blackjack zone</li><li>Psychonaut mental world psychic zone</li><li>Psychological horror hypnosis unreliable narrator distorted perception zone</li><li>Crawling veins of the earth claughstrophobic tunnel zone</li><li>Psychedelic acid trip incense zone</li><li>Boiler room rust moisture heat zone</li><li>Silent Hill fog flesh zombie zone</li><li>Cronenberg flesh mound zone</li><li><a href="https://earthbound.fandom.com/wiki/Moonside#:~:text=Moonside%20is%20a%20location%20in,the%20Evil%20Mani%20Mani%20statue.">Moonside zone</a></li><li>Mesoamerican neon light nazca lines zone</li><li>Giant board game zone</li><li>Office cafeteria break room chat zone</li><li>Gladiatorial arena blood sport zone</li><li>Panopticon surveillance needle static zone</li><li>Sparking technological wire-warren zone</li><li>Synesthesia zone where music appears as colours and shapes</li><li>Hunger zone where food rots and you become unstoppably hungry and thirsty</li><li>Dream zone where spores float and you are irresistably lulled into slumber</li><li>Frost shard frozen meat splinter crack zone</li><li>Blocked rubble scuttling spider dust zone</li><li>Choking sand, searing heat and blood fly zone</li><li>Zone where the moon and planets appear, tantalising close and hypnotising</li><li>Endless party zone, party-goers run ragged and exhausted</li><li>Backrooms, silent and empty and infinite zone</li><li>Non-euclidian distortion of time and space zone where you can fall into angles and disappear forever</li><li>Unfinished construction area zone, ladders and scaffolds and tools everywhere</li></ol><div><h3><br /></h3><h3>Let's get started!</h3></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Tomorrow I will begin! Good luck to everyone who is starting their Dungeon23 journey. I will hopefully post on this blog every now and then to update y'all on my progress. I would love to hear your feedback or any ideas you have to enrich this megadungeon. Is there anything you think should be included? Any inspirational moments you've had in dying malls? Let me know :) </div><div><div><br /></div><div><ol></ol></div></div></div>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13576384742168685922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5198965507306079094.post-3049439470918613852022-12-28T14:32:00.000-08:002022-12-28T14:32:58.538-08:00ENTITY 05: HIGH REALITY INDIVIDUAL<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/82/90/53/8290532344a6e47d771c7d6c8cb90380.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/82/90/53/8290532344a6e47d771c7d6c8cb90380.jpg" width="296" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><p></p><div>Scientists estimate that most humans are between 20% and 60% real. with some outliers that achieve up to 70% materiality. Wei is different. He breaks every chart and destroys every reality sensor in a 20 mile radius. He is the only true human, and the rest of us are just figments of his imagination. </div><div><br /></div><div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div></div><div>His presence is like a gravity well. You feel drawn in towards him, as if the ground always slopes downward in his direction. He weighs heavy on your mind and the things he says seem to carry more weight and importance than anything you have heard before. Even if he just says "Hello", you find yourself playing and replaying it over and over in your mind, wondering at the hidden meaning of it, dreaming of that short moment obsessively. </div><div><br /></div><div>His opinions carry a similar weight. You find yourself falling down into them and agreeing despite yourself. Now that he says it like that, it makes perfect sense. You don't know how you didn't see it before. You find yourself doing whatever he asks you to. You can't help yourself. </div><div><br /></div><div>Wei is the outlier, but other High Reality Individuals do exist, with higher than 70% reality.</div><div><br /></div><div>After prolonged exposure to a high-reality individual, you slowly lose the ability to think of anything but them. They stand in front of your vision at all times, even when asleep. Slowly, you realise you can see all sides of them at once. You percieve their front and back, their outside skin and internal organs, all at the same time. This is the final, terminal stage of unprotected reality exposure.</div><div><br /></div><div>These individuals tend to end up in positions of power and influence, almost despite themselves. They don't understand the effect they have on people. They feel deeply lonely, although they don't know why. They live in a world of ghosts and fog.</div><div><br /></div><div>High-reality persons cannot be meaningfully harmed by low-reality individuals or objects. Your fists will seem like nothing but smoke against them. For this reason, the government keeps an elite Excess Reality Squad on standby at all times in case they ever become a threat to national security. Constantly rotating shifts of operatives monitor their activities 24/7, viewing them only through filtered TV screens in order to avoid becoming contaminated by reality exposure. They keep a small box of high-reality items, capable of wounding or killing these dream-titans.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is unknown what would happen to our universe if these individuals were ever killed. </div>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13576384742168685922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5198965507306079094.post-26757208677077073512022-12-06T22:08:00.008-08:002022-12-07T02:20:07.720-08:00Random boss idea: Destroy the Action Economy.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEinIWtuIJHL1hpZUUXEwLG9RBwAU7fRLpT_7nLssgdBpoT_E7z94VuHPumuhW5NKKkcIvn-EZCw2FD5fsS4ZDxy7rGYcZrWQfVL3SgJoGIXLawXIz3xq68WHEcMqHAk_5y22V424TATu4L6r_HR17DeOXzI6Uv-QPhB6tr8nWm6Kwbj3Qwb8VqSaMv_" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEinIWtuIJHL1hpZUUXEwLG9RBwAU7fRLpT_7nLssgdBpoT_E7z94VuHPumuhW5NKKkcIvn-EZCw2FD5fsS4ZDxy7rGYcZrWQfVL3SgJoGIXLawXIz3xq68WHEcMqHAk_5y22V424TATu4L6r_HR17DeOXzI6Uv-QPhB6tr8nWm6Kwbj3Qwb8VqSaMv_" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1920" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi2tQ6wlR-FqWOQipvwDsP1H_YB11Ds20r5cE9wVu7OBmWmPYfZuf_FguNRckcU5lO9HZ_uj5Sz_EGXuslPveerF4xEPlULBrVETB8Znc75qFrWGGVvWlIs5qUrUsaW3s86Y06TUkxoFmZnCNuYBAuA4F8CG0yZ8rdFx6nTwWHvBzeCB4MOiwdrj6um=w400-h200" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><i>All art in this post by Artem Demura.</i></div><div><br /></div></div><p></p><p>We've all heard the problems with big, solo boss monsters in D&D. They can easily become <a href="https://theangrygm.com/the-dd-boss-fight-part-1/">boring, grindy, and non-threatening</a>. The poor things end up getting <a href="https://slyflourish.com/improving_boss_fights.html">killed before they get a chance to do anything cool</a>. The PC's have access to a <a href="https://coinsandscrolls.blogspot.com/2018/06/osr-boss-fight-design.html">huge array of bullshit</a> that can easy grapple, restrain, stun, or put your hapless boss to sleep. The action economy is fundamentally against a solo boss, which it makes it really hard to make a fun, challenging solo boss in the <a href=""Combat as sport" ">"Combat as Sport"</a> style of play.</p><p>Here is a random, simple idea for helping with these issues: Scrap the action economy. Just throw it in the trash. Instead, do this.</p><h4 style="text-align: center;">After each player's turn, the boss takes a turn. </h4><div><br /></div><div>Each time the boss takes a turn, it can move and take 1 action. Actions can just be typical examples like this.</div><div><br /></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span id="docs-internal-guid-214a7e51-7fff-07f8-05e9-5010a37f75a8"><span style="font-family: Balthazar, serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Claw.</span><span style="font-family: Balthazar, serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> +14 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d6 + 8) slashing damage.</span></span></li></ul><div><br /></div><div>So after a player takes their turn, the boss can make a claw attack. But actions can also be linked together in action chains, like this.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Careful shot. </b>The Archer aims at a target and slowly draws back his bow.</li><ul><li>The Archer fires. +12 to hit, 2d10 damage. </li></ul></ul><div><br /></div><div>After Player A's turn, the boss does the first action (drawing the bow). Then after player B's turn, it completes the action chain by doing the second action (firing an arrow). </div></div><div><br /></div><div>Here's another example of an action chain.</div><div><br /></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Blood Moon. </b>The Wolf rears back and howls. The sound makes your head pulse with wild pain.</li><ul><li>The moon turns blood red. The area 10 feet around the wolf begins to squirm with black liquid.</li><li>Burning blood rains from the sky. Everyone within 10 feet of the wolf takes 3d10 damage. </li></ul></ul><div><br /></div><div>or this.</div><div><br /></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Grapple. </b>The plant grabs the nearest player. Make a DC 20 strength save - if they fail, they are grappled and take d6 damage.</li><ul><li>The plant pulls the target into its maw. They are trapped inside and take d8 damage a round until they can free themselves with a successful DC 15 Strength check. </li></ul></ul><div><div><br /></div><div>By doing this, you can foreshadow attacks like in a videogame. It gives the PC's a short moment to see what's about to happen and get out of danger. If the monster misses the first attack in the chain, the rest of the chain doesn't go off.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div><div><br /></div><div>In the normal action economy, foreshadowing like this is tough to do. If your enemy spends a turn powering up for a big attack, it's just wasted an entire round! It probably won't even survive to unleash that attack. With this system, it's very easy and simple to foreshadow what the enemy is about to do, because each action is split up so much more. </div><div><br /></div><div>This is great because it lets the PC's experience those heroic moments. "Jane, you can see the dragon is bearing down on the wizard, about to swallow him whole - what do you want to do?" Jane has a turn to try to save the wizard from danger before he's devoured.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>You could simply follow the normal initiative order with this system, or even let the players decide what order they want to go in.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEinIWtuIJHL1hpZUUXEwLG9RBwAU7fRLpT_7nLssgdBpoT_E7z94VuHPumuhW5NKKkcIvn-EZCw2FD5fsS4ZDxy7rGYcZrWQfVL3SgJoGIXLawXIz3xq68WHEcMqHAk_5y22V424TATu4L6r_HR17DeOXzI6Uv-QPhB6tr8nWm6Kwbj3Qwb8VqSaMv_" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="811" data-original-width="1920" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEinIWtuIJHL1hpZUUXEwLG9RBwAU7fRLpT_7nLssgdBpoT_E7z94VuHPumuhW5NKKkcIvn-EZCw2FD5fsS4ZDxy7rGYcZrWQfVL3SgJoGIXLawXIz3xq68WHEcMqHAk_5y22V424TATu4L6r_HR17DeOXzI6Uv-QPhB6tr8nWm6Kwbj3Qwb8VqSaMv_=w400-h169" width="400" /></a></div><div></div><div><h4>Reactions</h4></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Instead of taking an action, the boss can take a reaction like this. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgL9b1ZehPyrmaWQd1IRJlUBja94dVDqEJQkjyvHe0oWkfyDqhe20T93qpLRe-49Lik0-uR9Xlckiw0XmTzF4vp4zo7sv9nYi5HV8_AVTruQ76yyreJBF6359bB6RKhcl8FDVzBs8ooRPNduPe4-n5iv5BD7bmAF5oIN6yneqljkWRdC9j9iaRbgwJm" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="40" data-original-width="48" height="20" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgL9b1ZehPyrmaWQd1IRJlUBja94dVDqEJQkjyvHe0oWkfyDqhe20T93qpLRe-49Lik0-uR9Xlckiw0XmTzF4vp4zo7sv9nYi5HV8_AVTruQ76yyreJBF6359bB6RKhcl8FDVzBs8ooRPNduPe4-n5iv5BD7bmAF5oIN6yneqljkWRdC9j9iaRbgwJm=w24-h20" width="24" /></a></div><b> </b>After someone shoots a projectile at the Archer: He snatches it out of the air, cancelling the damage, and quickly fires it back with his bow. +5 to hit, d6 damage.</div><div><br /></div></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgL9b1ZehPyrmaWQd1IRJlUBja94dVDqEJQkjyvHe0oWkfyDqhe20T93qpLRe-49Lik0-uR9Xlckiw0XmTzF4vp4zo7sv9nYi5HV8_AVTruQ76yyreJBF6359bB6RKhcl8FDVzBs8ooRPNduPe4-n5iv5BD7bmAF5oIN6yneqljkWRdC9j9iaRbgwJm" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="40" data-original-width="48" height="20" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgL9b1ZehPyrmaWQd1IRJlUBja94dVDqEJQkjyvHe0oWkfyDqhe20T93qpLRe-49Lik0-uR9Xlckiw0XmTzF4vp4zo7sv9nYi5HV8_AVTruQ76yyreJBF6359bB6RKhcl8FDVzBs8ooRPNduPe4-n5iv5BD7bmAF5oIN6yneqljkWRdC9j9iaRbgwJm=w24-h20" width="24" /></a></div><b> <- </b>This symbol means it's a reaction. The GM can choose to trigger it when a specific condition is met. If the boss makes a reaction, they've used up their action for that turn. </div><div><br /></div></div><div><h4>Weak Points</h4></div><div><br /></div><div>You can also use action chains to easily create classic video-gamey scenarios where the enemy is vulnerable after their attack. Here's some examples:</div><div><br /></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Giant Swing. </b>The warrior moves and swings the gigantic axe at the closest PC. +10 to hit, 2d8 damage. The axe is buried in the wall or floor. </li><ul><li>The Warrior struggles, then pulls their axe free with a crunch and holds it high above their head in triumph.</li></ul></ul><div><br /></div></div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Charge. </b>The Boar aims at a spot with the most PC's clustered together in a group. It prepares to charge.</li><ul><li>The Boar charges in a straight line until it hits a wall or solid object, dealing 2d12 damage to everyone hit. Whatever object or wall it hit will be destroyed.</li><li>The Boar staggers around, dazed. All attacks have advantage against it. </li><li>The Boar shakes itself and regains its composure.</li></ul></ul><div><br /></div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Death ray. </b>The machine opens up its chest and fires a death ray from its heart. 3d8 damage in a 60ft cone, 19 Dex save for half damage.</li><ul><li>The machine overheats! Its beating heart is exposed! Any attack that targets the heart double damage this turn.</li><li>The machine closes up the iron protecting the heart and stops being vulnerable</li></ul></ul><div><br /></div><div>Again, in a normal action economy you'd be making the boss vulnerable for an entire round - way too much. With this system you can open it up for only 1 or 2 turns, so only a couple of players get the chance to seize the opportunity and try to make their attacks count. </div><div><br /></div><div><div><h4>Desperate actions</h4></div><div><br /></div><div><span id="docs-internal-guid-38fb1490-7fff-20a5-ab37-1801c3609310"><span style="font-family: Balthazar, serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">✸ </span><b><- </b><span style="font-family: Balthazar, serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">An action with this symbol is a <b>desperate action. </b>It can only be performed when the boss is at half health or lower. For example:</span></span></div></div><div><span><span style="font-family: Balthazar, serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span id="docs-internal-guid-689f8f8d-7fff-56c5-454d-7bcb27e916c2"><b>✸ Desperate Flame. </b>The dragon lets out a shriek of terrible rage. Ash and smoke billows around it.</span></li><ul><li><span>A cloud of ash surges from the dragon. The area within 80 feet is covered in smoke, making it difficult to see. The dragon inhales. The heat intensifies.</span></li><li><span>All terrain within 80 feet is ignited like tinder. Each creature on the ground must take d6 fire damage on each of their turns for the next minute.</span></li></ul></ul></div><div><span><span style="font-family: Balthazar, serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: Balthazar, serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is a simple way to do "Phases". Desperate actions should be something that seriously change up the battlefield and the situation. </span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiyvPSJd3i05jAhiSIJk6wSEybZAMh7DIRcIaPyvF8LtgoD8ovYTD_-kMmRhYtbCLdOzcP4C079kMRPy433lFpD0zhqanTt6b9mfYWZlPV74MyIsYHO9Y_riYfK-UqVrmyc4zG2UfC_i5qj0pzM0I17-67YSRhlRxAyGkCzT764vkWWu-BQwF4tiqt2" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1297" data-original-width="1920" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiyvPSJd3i05jAhiSIJk6wSEybZAMh7DIRcIaPyvF8LtgoD8ovYTD_-kMmRhYtbCLdOzcP4C079kMRPy433lFpD0zhqanTt6b9mfYWZlPV74MyIsYHO9Y_riYfK-UqVrmyc4zG2UfC_i5qj0pzM0I17-67YSRhlRxAyGkCzT764vkWWu-BQwF4tiqt2" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><br /></div><div><h4>The Horde</h4></div><div>You can use this same technique to run a huge horde of enemies. Let's say you have a wave of countless undead converging on the PC's as they try to hold out. Don't run individual turns for every enemy - that would take forever. Just give them a group health pool, and have them take an action after each PC action. For example: </div><div><br /></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>A zombie latches onto you and tries to bite you. +5, d8 damage, save or become infected.</li></ul></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Rotting hands grasp at you from all angles. DC 18 STR save or be grappled.</li><ul><li>The hoard drags you away from the rest of the party and into the mass of undead. 2d8 damage each round until you make a DC 18 STR save or another party member saves you.</li></ul></ul></div><div><br /></div><div>When describing attacks, you can narrate the party cleaving through 3 zombies in a single blow. But mechanically you just keep track of the group health pool for the horde, and continue to take an action after each PC. When the health runs out, the horde falls apart or their morale breaks. The remaining survivors flee or are easily dispatched. This is an easy way to running any combat against a large group (an enemy army, goblins, orcs, etc). </div><div><br /></div><div><h4>Converting 5e bosses to this system.</h4><div><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;"><b>Movement: </b>Divide the movement rate by 4 (roughly - round up if needed). The boss can move that far each time it takes a turn. So instead of moving 40 feet a round, the monster could move 10 feet after each player's turn. </p></div><div>This works out to the same amount of movement with an average party of 4 players, but splitting it up might make the boss feel a lot more dynamic and mobile. It constantly moves around the battlefield and changes the situation instead of just sitting there for a full round while the PC's pile on.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Attacks: </b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Normal Attacks: </b>You'll want to reduce the damage.<b> </b>If the boss normally makes 1 attack per round, I would roughly divide the damage by 4 to make it work for this system. </li><li><b>Multi-Attacks:</b> <b> </b>If the boss has a multi-attack (like Claw, Claw, Bite), then each component of that multi attack can just be a single action. </li><li><b>Big Attacks: </b>For a big attack like a breath weapon, an AOE effect, put it into an action chain. Try 1 or both of following:</li><ul><li>Add 1-2 actions beforehand to foreshadow the attack.</li><li>Add 1-2 actions where the enemy is vulnerable afterwards. </li></ul><li><b>Specific Attacks: </b>For something specific or niche, consider making it a reaction to a specific trigger. When the dragon is attacked from behind, it uses its tail attack. This is cool because it allows the PC's to learn the boss's behaviour (better stay away from that tail). </li><li><b>Status effects: </b>For big status like paralyzation or charm, put it in an action chain of 2-3 steps. The effect gets worse each step until it finally accomplishes the full effect. </li></ul></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh1hb8s0rMHzKbR1H1_59BE6d11ChYi7NRH59FJ_pG1obUxwkN60r3dx9GkI5Kjo70XzohnL8VhA6lppnu2gGYuM6z2YmGDlwi3VH6K-X1-ea-t-6Un5UWnQci22KPJw8_mk4jJj13PIqKLLwRFAqG3h5WZDc0XPU3TqPVFqfx2aZrLboBSj33G0_b2" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="1920" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh1hb8s0rMHzKbR1H1_59BE6d11ChYi7NRH59FJ_pG1obUxwkN60r3dx9GkI5Kjo70XzohnL8VhA6lppnu2gGYuM6z2YmGDlwi3VH6K-X1-ea-t-6Un5UWnQci22KPJw8_mk4jJj13PIqKLLwRFAqG3h5WZDc0XPU3TqPVFqfx2aZrLboBSj33G0_b2" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div><div><h4>Example: Adult Red Dragon.</h4></div></div><div>Here is an example using this technique to revise the <a href="https://www.aidedd.org/dnd/monstres.php?vo=adult-red-dragon">Adult Red Dragon</a> from 5e. Click this image for the google drive link. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/12eSwXhP-iHQADHgKfB7z9EpuXhTwOunjplgav76NFz4/edit?usp=sharing" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="817" data-original-width="632" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBqT-IZF-QsykRgBfatgM05ixomZCc6FtFV2P6v-R2CXs_xnpt5vrmonhv6E3JYZYPa5I3ZDdvUNMbl0cXC-GcitGkIOFLWUn635dWBK0O6NE3pPnL1VcFuqNqYsvxQmNz_3X_VPfCCbBpos9yfA3FfbNOPR46WSSL6u6gGzJl5xfkiMw1-XJGuVmj/w496-h640/AdultRedDragon.png" width="496" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>So, what are the benefits of this idea?</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMBKqYye0r4fK7O1TLSru2Buw-el76_-3Qk88uvFhssNmP22HFTtuoYGmtvo81pwnnMTvYNTsSQQrf72lJoC3e7NVEACEoaVVdA6uLsIzmecBJ6pehiLDP5UqUBMZuM9Gs5WdLfNnm2xIw2S1XPAF8a6HSav9iYQv0sWkP6NfAR-k7Zm7qEHGnf0kr" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="685" data-original-width="1920" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMBKqYye0r4fK7O1TLSru2Buw-el76_-3Qk88uvFhssNmP22HFTtuoYGmtvo81pwnnMTvYNTsSQQrf72lJoC3e7NVEACEoaVVdA6uLsIzmecBJ6pehiLDP5UqUBMZuM9Gs5WdLfNnm2xIw2S1XPAF8a6HSav9iYQv0sWkP6NfAR-k7Zm7qEHGnf0kr" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><h4>The boss always gets to do something cool.</h4><div><br /></div><div>Using the traditional action economy means that a single opponent doesn't get to do very much. A combat might only last 3 rounds, which means the boss only really gets 3 chances to actually do anything. That's not much! It doesn't feel like an exciting, dynamic opponent. More like an opponent that's holding on and hoping it survives until its one big turn. </div><div><br /></div><div>This system means that the boss is CONSTANTLY doing cool stuff, every turn. Even if you have 5 PC's and they manage to kill the boss in the first round - that means the boss got to do 5 cool things. So the boss always gets a chance to show off and have some interesting things happen. </div><div><br /></div><div><h4>More dynamic situations.</h4></div><div><br /></div><div>Instead of the boss sitting there while you wail on it for 5 player actions, the situation changes every single turn. The boss is constantly moving and doing something, so there is always something new to consider. I think the simple dynamic of "I Go - You Go" would make combat flow a lot better. </div><div><br /></div><div><h4>Less insta-kill attacks.</h4></div><div><br /></div><div>Because a solo opponent only gets 1 turn in the round, they need to really deal a serious amount of damage if they want to actually be a threat. That can make encounters very swingy. You're 100% fine, then suddenly you get hit by Claw / Claw / Bite all at once out of nowhere and wiped out instantly. By splitting up the attacks throughout the turns, each individual attack is more reasonable and gives the players more time to react.</div><div><br /></div><div>But because of the foreshadowing of action chains, you can feel free to really rip into PC's with big, devastating effects - because you've warned them that something big is coming up and given them a chance to avoid it. Effects like charm, paralyzation or being turned to stone would all be fine to use with a bit of foreshadowing. </div><div><br /></div><div><h4>It's scalable.</h4><div><br /></div><div>This technique automatically scales to the number of players you have. 1 player fighting the boss would be just as viable as 8 players fighting it. </div><div><br /></div><div>You might just need to change the HP a bit. I would consider dividing the HP by 4, and then giving it that much per player. </div></div><div><br /></div></div><div>This is all just a theory at this stage, so if anyone does end up trying it out I'd love to hear the results. Let me know in the comments below. </div><div><br /></div><p></p>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13576384742168685922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5198965507306079094.post-75304949603851012632022-12-03T17:34:00.002-08:002023-08-26T18:28:06.735-07:00The Thief, the Witch, the Toad, and the Mushroom.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The chrysalis weakens. The video game I've been working on nears completion.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.ashtowngames.com/thief-witch-toad-mushroom" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="107" data-original-width="854" height="50" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgKHlvL0QNJdVNvj41UtRkzRXmxNZpiAlxInc4EJCKStbfcSDnr07BmglX6DC_5aqWzrsU45ws4Tu_TLDx4B1ojXcDLMZTCUnRxfBUOLyNeVxg2W2ZF_eY5I3hb32QkD26LaRWIVWtAVguln_O-M2f6RZXSt7kfyuqAXZvucdTAzAh-xIQl6z9h5eZD=w400-h50" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BU281lCIkVo" width="320" youtube-src-id="BU281lCIkVo"></iframe></div><p>I'm planning to release it on Steam and Itch.io in 2023. You can see more info on the <a href="https://www.ashtowngames.com/thief-witch-toad-mushroom">website here</a> or wishlist the game on steam using the link below.</p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="190" src="https://store.steampowered.com/widget/2233770/" width="590"></iframe></div>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13576384742168685922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5198965507306079094.post-10298587216057574902022-11-03T23:35:00.004-07:002022-11-03T23:35:52.617-07:00Community Service Carousing for Mausritter<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjRjq2g0LNZvfvIc0-yKbQlnoCrs2A4obp1BeuZMWlQjDGuh1GHzBqTDXCfXl2Le3MWJmCExe7j2SQ8HT9C9x2-CFqSd9Iovc1Zd8Djg2SssO6dKMsw65gpTVgHhFQh4wStV3Bb2qM7UxUwbBcMNtiq-ERaDTHPD_-4duuR9mF2X13czcssPgFX25w1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjRjq2g0LNZvfvIc0-yKbQlnoCrs2A4obp1BeuZMWlQjDGuh1GHzBqTDXCfXl2Le3MWJmCExe7j2SQ8HT9C9x2-CFqSd9Iovc1Zd8Djg2SssO6dKMsw65gpTVgHhFQh4wStV3Bb2qM7UxUwbBcMNtiq-ERaDTHPD_-4duuR9mF2X13czcssPgFX25w1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiGl-KcfR0w5wfXk2APaIVQJ7z9peF0k609chWXgJ9GdenS_AydbnxsTZNDn7pfrN-S5ZxBTkmtrkrFAgW8RsN_xKqihOimMAsq-ksXaTva1UQXiDOhaNdv2Xkhoe9xmlZwdTFDMaG-mpVhx3RQnCmxSXIshzujfuhJf8-Q09aVEefsshVPre5K9YOl" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiGl-KcfR0w5wfXk2APaIVQJ7z9peF0k609chWXgJ9GdenS_AydbnxsTZNDn7pfrN-S5ZxBTkmtrkrFAgW8RsN_xKqihOimMAsq-ksXaTva1UQXiDOhaNdv2Xkhoe9xmlZwdTFDMaG-mpVhx3RQnCmxSXIshzujfuhJf8-Q09aVEefsshVPre5K9YOl" width="300" /></a></div><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: times;">The <a href="http://jrients.blogspot.com/2008/12/party-like-its-999.html">Carousing Table</a> is an OSR classic. OSR games often reward XP for treasure, which can leave your players with tons of loot and not much to spend it on. Carousing solves that issue by adding a money sink - your players can always get rid of excess cash for a benefit. Plus it naturally generates adventure hooks at the same time!</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: times;">Mausritter offers a wholesome twist on this idea with <b>community improvements</b>. Your mouse can earn additional XP by spending their treasure selflessly on improvements for the whole community. For every 10 pips spent this way, your mouse earns 1 XP.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;">This is lovely, but the rules don't offer any specific ideas on what you could spend money on to improve your community. So, here is a <b>community improvement table!</b> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;">If someone wants to invest their hard-won pips back into the community, roll on this table 3 times to give them a few options for what to invest in, and let the players choose which ones they want. </span><span style="font-family: times;">Each improvement comes with a potential benefit you could reward the players with, and an adventure hook to inspire you. </span></p><p>Roll <b>d66 </b><i>(d6 x10 + d6)</i>:</p><table class="mce-item-table" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); color: black; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif;"><tbody><tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;"><br /></td><td data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem; text-align: center;"><strong>Community Improvement</strong></td><td data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem; text-align: center;"><strong>Benefit</strong></td><td data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem; text-align: center;"><strong>Adventure hook</strong></td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;"><br />11 </td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Dig a new well for the town. </td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">May make a wish once per session. Spirits may help you with your wish (giving you advantage on one critical roll to achieve it).</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">You unearth an ancient cave with a lindworm (a blind, pale snake which breathes poisonous smoke). It speaks your tongue and knows many secrets.</td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">12</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Build a bridge over a nearby river, or tunnel through difficult terrain.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Easier travel (1 watch to cross hex instead of 2).</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Toad moves in under bridge and begins demanding toll.</td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">13</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Help grow crops or create a community garden.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">1d3 free rations each time you visit town.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Pumpkin harvest spirits haunt the fields and cause low-level mischief. If appeased, they guarantee a good harvest.</td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">14</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Rebuild a church of the mother. </td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Priest can provide 1d3 flasks of holy water each time you visit</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Learn of an ancient artefact of the mother, the holy thimble, in an adventure site nearby.</td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">15</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Create a boat or vehicle for the community that can travel between towns to ferry goods.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Store stocks a better selection of goods. Torches, lanterns and other utility items may have +1 use.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Bandits plan an ambush to hijack the vehicle. Traders ask for PC protection.</td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">16</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Fund a local carnival or harvest festival. </td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Can win human artefacts as prizes at carnival. </td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Fierce competition for the best costume and display. Some mice may plan sabotage to win the prize: The Golden Pumpkin. </td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">21</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Dig burrows for free community housing.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Free rooms when you're in town.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Burrowing accidentally uncovers the ruin of an labyrinthine mouse burrow from centuries past, haunted by old ghosts.</td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">22</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Build a local theatre. </td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Free masks, disguises and other theatre tools.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Mysterious figure haunts the theatre, causing accidents and demanding that a certain mouse be made the star of the show.</td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">23</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Improve accessibility of the village (ramps, better facilities for older mice, etc). </td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Grateful local mice help you with your projects (building things, etc).</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Mysterious rat stranger with cane and eyepatch thanks PC's and hints at pirate treasure.</td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">24</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Paint and repair local homes or businesses. </td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Install secret passages that will help you and the town in case of attack.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Discover a nest of bats hiding in an old home, fleeing enemies in another faction.</td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">25</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Build a fire station to help handle bushfires and other disasters. </td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Safety during rough weather events. </td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Rowdy fire-fighting mice ask the PC's to assist them with a disaster (fire, flood, landslide, etc)</td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">26</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Fund medical facilities. </td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Full rests in town take half as long to heal you. May be able to heal strange, normally unhealable conditions.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Doctor asks for assistance with mysterious experiments in dream serum. Mice enter hallucinogenic trance that leads them to the dream world.</td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">31</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Build an arena where mice can compete in games of strength (woodchopping, rope climbing, duels, etc). </td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">+1 STR to all hirelings. </td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Brawny mouse attempts to impress PC's by beating them in a contest.</td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">32</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Fund your local library. </td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Can research the answers to 1d3 questions each time you visit town. </td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Librarian discovers occult tomes with dark knowledge and asks the PC's to seal them away safely. </td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">33</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Build watchtowers. </td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Watch-mice will see any threats coming and warn the town with a gong. </td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Watch-mice notice a travelling caravan of circus-folk in the distance that seems to have gotten lost and waylaid by bandits.</td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">34</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Fund local arts and crafts supply.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Free items: Paintbrushes, string, modelling clay, human pencils.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Inspired artist creates painting of mythical unicorn-frog creature - claims to have seen it nearby.</td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">35</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Create a home for local stray beetles. </td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Free beetle hireling with +1 inventory slot.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">PC's hear rumour of a magical beetle nearby with mysterious powers (eg, can see ghosts). No mouse has ever tamed it.</td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">36</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Protect, reclaim and rejuvenate local wilderness. </td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Gain 1d6 rations when foraging instead of 1d3.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Fae spirits take a liking to you, may kidnap you into fae realm. </td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">41</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Repair and fix clothes for mice of the village. </td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Mysterious local tailor may craft costumes of unknown make and potentially magical abilities for the party.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Must steal a piece of human clothing to complete the project (Sock, glove, stocking, etc).</td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">42</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Create a field for local sports. Mouseball, that kind of thing.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">+1 Dex to all hirelings.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">PC's may gamble on games. Some mice try to rig the game for a big payout. </td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">43</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Buy better musical instruments for local bards. </td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Free Bard hireling (Gives group +1 to reaction rolls). </td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Bards go on tour throughout local settlements and request PC protection for their travels.</td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">44</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Fund your local school.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">+1 WIL to all hirelings.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Teachers ask PC's to recover lost texts, hidden in a frog library. </td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">45</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Build a tower for local hedge witches / wizards.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">PC may be taken on as an apprentice and gain a spell.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Mouse Warlock requests a piece of a fallen star to complete the project. Meteorite shard can be found in nearby adventure location.</td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">46</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Build local beehives.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Earn d3 fresh honey rations each time you're in town.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Queen Bee is kidnapped by a spider queen.</td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">51</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Create more mouse holes and tunnels in human territory.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Easier to move unseen through human territory.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Hamster escapes and settles in town, has wild tales of treasure in human child's room.</td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">52</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Fund local leatherworking.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Can upgrade armour. Gains +1 DEF against specific damage source (Eg fire).</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Armourer tells you the location of a magical shield or piece of armour.</td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">53</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Fund local blacksmiths.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Can upgrade weapons. Deals +1 damage against specific target (eg birds). </td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Blacksmith tells you the location of a magical weapon.</td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">54</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Fund local brewery.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Gain 1d3 jugs of ale when you're in town (gives advantage on WIL saves and disadvantage on DEX saves for d4 turns).</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">While drunk, you overhear some noblemice discussing a terrible scheme against a good faction.</td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">55</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Fund a local bat cult.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Can hire 1 bat mount as a hireling for 40p per night.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Must seek out a great sacrifice to summon the Night Queen.</td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">56</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Fund fungus farm.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Gain 1d3 mushrooms each time you're in town. Some heal d6 STR when eaten, others deal d6 STR damage when eaten. </td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Fungus farmers tell you of a mysterious Truffle Lord, a fungus-creature who rules the mushroom realm under the farm. </td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">61</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Fund local cartographer's guild</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">GM provides more detailed maps and information about hazards in the region.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Cartographer gets lost mapping unknown place and must be rescued. Has a detailed map of a nearby adventure site.</td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">62</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Fund community newspaper.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">GM provides more information about faction goals and actions each session.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Newsmice ask you to help with investigative reporting of local murder / conspiracy.</td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">63</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Fund activism against corrupt noblemice.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">May be able to topple local noblemouse and take over their manor.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Resistance cell asks you to help them free prisoners from noble's dungeon.</td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">64</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Create shrines to appease local spirits.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Spirits in the area will watch over you and protect the town in subtle ways.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Offended trickster Bogart causes havoc (curdles milk, spoils eggs, etc). Must be defeated or appeased before project can be completed.</td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">65</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Exorcise ghosts from local graveyard.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">May speak to the spirit of a previous dead PC / NPC and gain knowledge.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Exorcist requires PC's to defend the ritual circle from angry spirits while they complete the exorcism.</td></tr><tr><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">66</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Fund local worm farms.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Free worm mount hireling. Can burrow through earth on command.</td><td style="border: 1px dashed rgb(187, 187, 187); padding: 0.4rem;">Worm farmers discover giant worm king that knows no master. Can it be tamed?</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span>I would allow the players to put as much money as they like into these, and just adjust the scale of the project based on how much money they put in. Say if they wanted to dig a well: a tiny amount of money could get a small well started, but a large amount of money could create a giant well and get the project finished much faster. E</span>ach improvement would take about 1-3 weeks to complete (depending on the scale and amount of money put into it). </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">I would only give them the benefit if they invest a meaningful portion of their wealth into the project, or do something extra to get the project completed (Eg contributing items or their own labour). Otherwise, the XP should be enough of a benefit.</span></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjaSNKE3jhUUi9lZEemnX77zCCXKa6LkthhmSksD-pge3-W69m4a_Ozc4QjeCUNWmX9_QYbmOTAnPKFU1KyN5SDHovRMejVUMCwQVY4KcjwVai0RbFrQH3Awcvdq1be0bvng13Be7lE2CgjeGKwbYjoo18KL_JlkTfXYVTsPp4x8_YQVve5CxIJG6J" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="594" data-original-width="495" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjaSNKE3jhUUi9lZEemnX77zCCXKa6LkthhmSksD-pge3-W69m4a_Ozc4QjeCUNWmX9_QYbmOTAnPKFU1KyN5SDHovRMejVUMCwQVY4KcjwVai0RbFrQH3Awcvdq1be0bvng13Be7lE2CgjeGKwbYjoo18KL_JlkTfXYVTsPp4x8_YQVve5CxIJG6J=w333-h400" width="333" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;">Positive Conditions</span></h2><div><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: times;">I also want to reward PC's for spending a little extra time or money on relaxing in town and living the good life. You've gotta have those Redwall feasts. You know what I'm talking about:</span></div><div><br /></div><div><blockquote class="wp-block-quote" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #004e6a; font-family: Garamond, Baskerville, "Baskerville Old Face", "Hoefler Text", "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 2.4rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.625px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px auto 32px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; quotes: none; vertical-align: baseline; width: 519.3px;"><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 3.2rem; margin: 12px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 900; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"October ale and strawberry cordial, tarts, pies, flans, and puddings, served out and replaced by fresh delights from Redwall’s kitchens. Turnovers, trifles, breads, fondants, salads, pasties, and cheeses alternated with beakers of greensap milk, mint tea, rosehip cup and elderberry wine."</span></p></blockquote></div><div><span style="font-family: times;">My idea is to award positive conditions. <span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I would give these out when the PC's spend some extra time and / or money on living the good life. Getting the best room at the inn, throwing a feast or a party, putting on a play, that kind of thing. </span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: times; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiSb15xNAGcPSc7LPQESu6qoijc8ltiQ23NincJpysoOr1JfXWlxpBcMLK9FuzydzfWJD52RiE2BI0L1ZT5D_7ycZ2xOGP2QE0brOOf1FRBvwm504kU1Xfa6qM449wq_LzodKzaxvTcU1FJwF9x-LRlnLZKTfC-cSjGyJYUWrTDInH0cR2RbMP6S7I-" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: times;"><img alt="" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiSb15xNAGcPSc7LPQESu6qoijc8ltiQ23NincJpysoOr1JfXWlxpBcMLK9FuzydzfWJD52RiE2BI0L1ZT5D_7ycZ2xOGP2QE0brOOf1FRBvwm504kU1Xfa6qM449wq_LzodKzaxvTcU1FJwF9x-LRlnLZKTfC-cSjGyJYUWrTDInH0cR2RbMP6S7I-=w121-h121" width="121" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Well-fed.</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Mark 1 use to gain advantage on a STR save or to remove the </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hungry </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">condition</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span><span style="text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">Earned from eating luxurious or exotic foods or quaffing fine wines and ales in a comfortable setting with fine company. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi8h9re84mbxd_JVg96_v9zgPuaLDVWGnqTUQ7PdJ7Tm0qfJu59jUHTiwTN6Jn5kBgJJJsLXwOsJ-Oo1U32UsXTOrB63lfr5gnSOd18tkjAb00nymWRpQ7d66_3llVcy01YF8jGDtPEJpxLB6rhukYRfUnnqPqddoP8PebO84lgn-tbw3Ymmy0br3be" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: times;"><img alt="" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi8h9re84mbxd_JVg96_v9zgPuaLDVWGnqTUQ7PdJ7Tm0qfJu59jUHTiwTN6Jn5kBgJJJsLXwOsJ-Oo1U32UsXTOrB63lfr5gnSOd18tkjAb00nymWRpQ7d66_3llVcy01YF8jGDtPEJpxLB6rhukYRfUnnqPqddoP8PebO84lgn-tbw3Ymmy0br3be=w121-h121" width="121" /><br /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Well-rested. </span></span><span style="text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mark 1 use </span><span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to gain advantage on a DEX save or to remove </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Exhausted. </span><span style="text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">Earned </span><span style="text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">from relaxing experiences like taking a lush bath, getting your fur groomed extravagantly, or sleeping in a burrow you own, laid out with the specific furnishings you love.</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></span></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgIPJ3KR5zkwbZCtObOD1vvToh0tLiWLkCBTTRVf39VNIXhmqtXwlM0fzD2hoqJrG-uoPd3zDOjYGXd9AjqgBtbMNaAt1oZ5I9Wfb26FYWMBgg_Wv44gQzuTIwt2mcyzbAiGxmEwGU1Q3_99y29PLLlQ2ZWx44NQM4NB4avdti0pAtF5obASTm7bjxP" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: times;"><img alt="" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgIPJ3KR5zkwbZCtObOD1vvToh0tLiWLkCBTTRVf39VNIXhmqtXwlM0fzD2hoqJrG-uoPd3zDOjYGXd9AjqgBtbMNaAt1oZ5I9Wfb26FYWMBgg_Wv44gQzuTIwt2mcyzbAiGxmEwGU1Q3_99y29PLLlQ2ZWx44NQM4NB4avdti0pAtF5obASTm7bjxP=w122-h122" width="122" /></span></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /><span><p role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Well-content. </span><span style="text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mark 1 use </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to gain advantage on a WIL save or to remove </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Drained. </span><span style="text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">Earned </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">from sublime and life-affirming experiences with your loved ones, like enjoying a grand festival, putting on a play, or finishing some great creative work.</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">For a normal example (like spending extra money for the best room at the inn) I would give these only <b>1 use</b>. More extravagant efforts (Like throwing a huge feast for the whole town) could give the PC's a positive condition with 2 or even 3 uses - but the PC's would have to spend a good chunk of money or effort to earn that. You can use the online <a href="https://mausritter.com/item-card-studio">Item Studio</a> to create these and print them out. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Making sure your adventurer is having a good time normally isn't rewarded in D&D, which is why you sometimes end up with adventurers sleeping in a ditch instead of spending money on an Inn. </span>Having a good time, being cosy and throwing feasts is such an important part of the genre, I think it's worth rewarding the players for doing that. </div></span></span></div>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13576384742168685922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5198965507306079094.post-57568983687693586622022-10-27T18:13:00.009-07:002022-10-29T15:47:00.990-07:00ENTITY 04: GHOST BRANCH<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhahsN4PhOYMHUkkS4mPTEaFLj50KXbxIjkMbtPUWt4AO-D8pZvlngsyowXRU3wx0KTZV4MUdkxW883GIkbu5pmBK_ImvhQp0vJSZkEuPMhjFQy3CyCqQmihi0RIdvSiIgaNRfE_zVVtOrBc-TiWqfB-E6bZ98fq0pR53outnF_3wtej8r3mu9FI346" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhahsN4PhOYMHUkkS4mPTEaFLj50KXbxIjkMbtPUWt4AO-D8pZvlngsyowXRU3wx0KTZV4MUdkxW883GIkbu5pmBK_ImvhQp0vJSZkEuPMhjFQy3CyCqQmihi0RIdvSiIgaNRfE_zVVtOrBc-TiWqfB-E6bZ98fq0pR53outnF_3wtej8r3mu9FI346=w267-h400" width="267" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div>Corporations are people. So when a corporation is murdered, it leaves behind a ghost. A vast invisible presence that slowly rolls across the country. Spectres like this commonly rise after a company has been gutted by a private equity firm. If you could see it, it would look like a rolling wave of pale corpse-fat stretching across the horizon. </div><div><br /><div>When you walk through a normal ghost, you feel cold. But these ghosts are so huge that people sometimes spend their entire lives inside them. For these poor souls, their entire life feels distant and foggy, like it's happening to someone else. They always feel cold, without knowing why. </div><div><br /></div><div>As it rolls through an area, a curse of decay falls upon the land. You're laughing with your friends in the mall when you hear them fall silent. You turn to find it empty, dark, and full of stagnant pond water. The amusement parks are all abandoned. The stores are suddenly bankrupt. Reality dips by as much as 20%. These are null-zones, blank spaces on the map where benevolent Lord Mammon cannot pass, and the invisible hand of the free market drags all businesses into their graves. </div><div><br /></div><div>These roving Abandonment Zones slowly move across the country. Elite hedge funds employ trained haruspices to track their movements, so they can buy and sell accordingly. Insiders are given tip-offs just before the ghost hits, allowing them to divest their holdings in the area. Like birds fleeing before an earthquake, the wise start packing their bags when they see the limosines leave town.</div></div><div><br /></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>ENTITY 04: GHOST BRANCH</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Danger: </b>Medium.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Number Appearing: </b>1.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Speed: </b>up to 6 miles per day.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: start;" /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As a ghost branch slowly moves over an area, it becomes more dangerous. Torches and sources of light last half as long and don't shine as far in the thick darkness. Items corrode and decay at double their normal rate. Safe areas will often have suffered some kind of decay. For example:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Old doors are now stuck. New doors, windows or other entrances appear at odd angles in the walls or ceiling. </li><li>Room is flooded with stagnant water where deadly creatures may lurk.</li><li>Room is covered in flammable, sticky grease.</li><li>Room is filled with fog, can barely see the hand in front of your face.</li><li>Room is occupied by d8 corporate wraiths. They will ignore the PC's and continue to work at their fake jobs. Walking through them saps your strength - d4 STR damage if you walk through one.</li><li>New chasm opens up in the floor - room is harder to get across.</li><li>Floor is unstable, likely to fall away under feet like a pit trap.</li><li>Roof has collapsed, room is covered in debris that makes it hard to get through.</li><li>Walls open out onto howling void beyond time and space.</li><li>Room has been twisted around. The walls or ceiling are now the floor.</li></ol><div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Directors commentary: </b>This is a good way to change up a dungeon once the PC's have explored it a bit, or to make a previously safe space suddenly terrifying and unsafe. It shifts things around, blocks off the old safe paths, and makes things more dangerous. I would roll for one of these for something like every 1/4 rooms. Hazards should be extended across multiple rooms (eg, flooding across 3-4 rooms). </div></div></blockquote><p>Any friendly NPC's in the area has a 40% chance of disappearing into the ghost realm. You can see glimpses of them as ghosts where they once stood, and hear echoes of their voices. They will reappear normally when the Ghost Branch moves on, with no memory of the incident.</p></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Monsters and enemies become shrouded by fog. Their presence is heralded by screeching static in the smashed TV's that clutter the area. They each gain 1 or more abilities (DM's choice).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Successful attacks drain 20% of the money from your bank balance. </li><li>On a successful attack, you lose 1 important memory.</li><li>+d6 damage, attacks leave you feeling cold and drained.</li><li>The enemy doubles, refracts and reflects over itself like a vision in a shattered mirror. +d6 AC.</li><li>Gets up with d6 HP the first time it dies.</li><li>As it approaches, the floor slowly creeps up over your feet to drag you down into the earth. While in the same room as it, make a save to keep moving each round or be slowly dragged under.</li><li>It can take on the appearance of one of your loved ones. Make a Wisdom save to attack.</li><li>Corrosion and rust blankets the room before it. Items and weapons rust and break in your hands when they touch it.</li><li>Vision flickers and fails as it approaches. Disadvantage on any check to see things or attack at range while you can see it.</li><li>Strength drains and fails as it approaches. Disadvantage on strength checks and melee attacks while you can see it.</li><li>Powerful depression washes over you as it approaches. Machines and spells are likely to fail or go haywire.</li><li>Thick smoke makes it hard to see. Enemy disappears when hit and reappears in the smoke at another space within 15 feet.</li><li>The environment twists and contorts itself to the monster's will. It can change the environment once per turn - doors open, walls rise from the ground to box you in, windows appear, etc.</li><li>Flammable oil-slick spreads across the floor as it approaches, save or fall when you move. Fire doesn't hurt it.</li><li>Toxic fumes and corrosive smoke flood from it. d4 damage per turn while you're in the same room as it.</li><li>Multiple ghost-limbs. Gains +1 action per round.</li><li>When it dies, it explodes in black fog, dealing d12 damage to everyone within 10 feet.</li><li>Enemy is attended by d6 smokey corporate wraiths. Wraiths have 1 hit point and latch on to you, draining d4 STR each round.</li><li>Enemy can walk through walls as if they were not real.</li><li>Enemy appears in the reflection of dark TV screens, mirrors and puddles - not in the real world. It can hurt you by attacking your reflection. Can only be forced into the real world by destroying all reflections in the room.</li></ol><div>The Ghost Branch can be banished or convinced to move on by a trained corporate exorcist. However, the only way to remove it for good is to get revenge on whoever or whatever killed the company. The area within the ghost branch will be filled with files and a ghostly paper trail that leads to the perpetrator. </div></div>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13576384742168685922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5198965507306079094.post-70531084521038696422022-10-22T16:26:00.009-07:002022-10-22T16:45:54.134-07:00THIS HAUNTED LAND - Languages<h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/e0/0b/a8/e00ba894f81a306f7a8919dac48531f2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="442" height="320" src="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/e0/0b/a8/e00ba894f81a306f7a8919dac48531f2.jpg" width="236" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400; text-align: left;"><a href="https://rottenpulp.blogspot.com/search/label/This%20Haunted%20Land">Click here for all posts on This Haunted Land.</a></i></div></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Everything talks.</h3><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It is critical to a fairy-tale atmosphere that the players can speak to absolutely anything. They should have no problems talking to humans, imps, nixies, ghosts, horses, cats, dogs or any creature in its own tongue. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Talking to inanimate objects like brooms, doors, swords or chairs requires a WIL / CHA save. This may have disadvantage for larger or more important objects (DM's discretion).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">They could even complete a quest to speak with greater beings like the old mountains, the rivers, and the bones of the land themselves. To do so they might need to journey to the heart of the mountain, the source of the river, etc. They would have to offer something of great value to earn an audience. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div>Not only <b>can </b>everything talk, everything is <b>willing</b> to talk. Even a hungry wolf will politely tell you that it is about to eat you. A hostile or unfriendly roll on the reaction table will still begin with a conversation before bloodshed begins. This opens the door to escape hostile encounters with trickery, riddles, etc.</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Whenever they try to talk to something unexpected, roll a reaction roll to see how it feels about them (table taken from Mausritter). </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-22ec111a-7fff-913d-bce1-ad486e4d5619"><div align="left" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 0pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="52"></col><col width="281"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 7.845703125pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2d6 </span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Reaction</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2 </span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hostile.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> How have you angered it?</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3-5 </span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unfriendly.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> How can it be appeased?</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">6-8</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unsure.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> What could win it over?</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">9-11 </span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Friendly. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What could it trade?</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">12 </span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Helpful. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How can it help you?</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Objects can move and act to a limited degree when they want to - leaping out of your hands, rolling away down the street, deliberately twisting when you try to use them, etc. If the players start talking to an object, here's a simple table for inspiration on its personality. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Inanimate object personality table:</h3><div style="text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Stuffy and officious - proud to be doing the job it was made for. May request paperwork.</li><li>Salt-of-the-earth, working class object. Thinking of forming a union.</li><li>Mischevious, tricksy, planning to break or twist at the wrong moment</li><li>Exhausted from hard labour, resigned. "What now?"</li><li>Loves to gossip. Has some scandalous stories about the broom and the scullery-maid.</li><li>Furious over some small slight from the last person to use it. "Never even said thank you."</li><li>Amiable, chuckles constantly at its own bad jokes. Wants to rest its old bones.</li><li>Lovesick. Sighs a lot. Pines after some other object that has gone away. </li><li>Nihilistic and gloomy. "We'll all end up on the trash-heap one day."</li><li>Newly-made. Naive, young and optimistic. Wants to see the world.</li><li>Cunning, sinister, hatching a plan to escape and commit evil deeds.</li><li>Dog-like - friendly, excitable and loyal to master.</li><li>Cat-like. Aloof, detatched. Thinks that you are here to serve them, not the other way around.</li><li>Motherly, old english maid type, wants to take care of other objects.</li><li>Lazy, whining, wants to do nothing all day.</li><li>Burning the candle at both ends. Desperate, hyperactive, wants to do things as fast as possible.</li><li>Solemn, wise, old. Knows much about the ways of men. Wants to pass away with dignity.</li><li> Scoundrel and rogue. Charming, will sell you down the river at the first opportunity.</li><li> Vain, pompous. Says its creator was the pre-eminant craftsman of his age. Wants attention. </li><li>Slow, sleepy, deep monotone voice. Works slowly but patiently. Everything in its time.</li></ol><div>This is a truism I have found: An encounter is almost always better if the monster can talk. </div></div>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13576384742168685922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5198965507306079094.post-74341317616341139102022-10-20T23:59:00.010-07:002022-10-29T16:44:39.118-07:00Treating a mystery like a dungeon - Random Encounters<p></p><div><div class="wDYxhc" data-md="61" lang="en-AU" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 8px; clear: none; color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div aria-level="3" class="LGOjhe" data-attrid="wa:/description" data-hveid="CCQQAA" role="heading" style="overflow: hidden; padding-bottom: 20px;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><span class="hgKElc" style="padding: 0px 8px 0px 0px;"></span></span></div></div></div><blockquote><div><div class="wDYxhc" data-md="61" lang="en-AU" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 8px; clear: none; color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLJchYU37XjIwkgxplzNzJBiRoh3fNbK5OuLq5l3vfmccoyEZb5Nb1oqSJQ6kXuUuFztl3ZhrCkojAQzhBv7FoaL17VkNYO0gX1OmEueADf4uEeQ7fbAnWKTOibGO_mp_yI_9NFcRdz8XYh8DSqN1Hiln5B0Mbebf4klRpg1nfUi3Isj0ksviUKQDe" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="960" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLJchYU37XjIwkgxplzNzJBiRoh3fNbK5OuLq5l3vfmccoyEZb5Nb1oqSJQ6kXuUuFztl3ZhrCkojAQzhBv7FoaL17VkNYO0gX1OmEueADf4uEeQ7fbAnWKTOibGO_mp_yI_9NFcRdz8XYh8DSqN1Hiln5B0Mbebf4klRpg1nfUi3Isj0ksviUKQDe=w400-h200" width="400" /></a></div></div><div aria-level="3" class="LGOjhe" data-attrid="wa:/description" data-hveid="CCQQAA" role="heading" style="overflow: hidden; padding-bottom: 20px;"><span class="ILfuVd" lang="en" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><span class="hgKElc" style="padding: 0px 8px 0px 0px;"><br />“When in doubt, have a man come through the door with a gun in his hand.”</span></span></div></div></div></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><div><div class="wDYxhc" data-md="61" lang="en-AU" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 8px; clear: none; color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div aria-level="3" class="LGOjhe" data-attrid="wa:/description" data-hveid="CCQQAA" role="heading" style="overflow: hidden; padding-bottom: 20px;"><span style="background-color: transparent;">-Raymond Chandler </span></div></div></div></blockquote><div></div></blockquote><div>Here's something I've been thinking about lately: Are there any ideas from OSR Dungeon Design that we can take and use to improve our mystery games? </div><div><br /></div><div>Dungeon design has recieved a huge amount of discussion and refinement over the years, and there may be some fruit we can pluck for other genres. Here's one thought from this vein:</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Random Encounters</h3><div><br /></div><div><div>Roll for encounters every time the PC's perform a major action, and whenever the PC's do something that could draw the attention of the malevolent forces behind the mystery.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>Major actions are things like moving to a new location, spending time researching in a library, or engaging in a fight. You can think of each major action as one "Scene". </div><div><br /></div><div><div>To roll a random encounter, roll<b> d6</b>. On a <b>1</b>, an <b>Encounter </b>occurs. On a <b>2</b>, an <b>Omen </b>occurs (signs or hints of an encounter).</div></div><div><br /></div></div><div>Each adventure would have a random encounter table, but here is a simple example that could be used for any Film Noir style mystery where the PC's are tangling with an evil organisation. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjDJE6SZaJLv2rAIessk05CiWnzO_n1g1lB1LRwLzkTKVa9lO1zKUTQI8YFRW8tlRu2ib3zPYi70FZG73XKDuyQoA_-S2FRbAq2D4QlP4LlOZ-M6nKZ3x0c4R9x8Z_8r_FUWFI7RFI-N2XmZuub7yeTbibW3dHPh_G6l3byBTlaCNglCBJiyAqwFwtF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="276" data-original-width="460" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjDJE6SZaJLv2rAIessk05CiWnzO_n1g1lB1LRwLzkTKVa9lO1zKUTQI8YFRW8tlRu2ib3zPYi70FZG73XKDuyQoA_-S2FRbAq2D4QlP4LlOZ-M6nKZ3x0c4R9x8Z_8r_FUWFI7RFI-N2XmZuub7yeTbibW3dHPh_G6l3byBTlaCNglCBJiyAqwFwtF" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Encounters</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">A thug bursts through the door, firing a gun. They plan to kill whoever the PC's are talking to, in order to silence them - then escape.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">The bad guys sneak in and bug the PC's phones or lines of communication.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">The bad guys ransack the PC's home or place of business. They will steal any valuable items or information the PC's have. </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">An NPC with vital information is kidnapped. PC's will be sent a letter with demands ("Leave town or we kill them", that kind of thing). </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">One of the PC's friends or contacts is bribed to turn traitor. They will feed the PC's incorrect information to send them into an ambush.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">The PC's car or method of transportation is rigged with a bomb. It will explode the next time it's used.</span></li></ol><div><div>The encounters should be dramatic moments where the NPC's advance their goals or try to stop the PC's investigation. </div><div><br /></div></div><div><b>Omens</b></div></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">There are signs that a low-ranking person from the bad guys was just here (footprints, cigarette butts, car tyre marks, graffitti, things like that). </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">There are signs that a high-ranking person from the bad guys was just here (footprints, cigar ash, witnesses saw a fancy car, things like that). </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">A group of thugs trail the PC's in a black car. They will attempt to escape if the PC's catch on.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">A high-ranking member of the bad guys begins to follow the PC's, pretending to read a newspaper. They will attempt to escape if the PC's catch on.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">The NPC's in this area are frightened. They've just been intimidated by the bad guys. </span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">One of the PC's friends or contacts starts to feel like they're being watched. The bad guys are staking out their house.</span></li></ol><div>The omens should be clues that foreshadow danger and give the PC's a hint about your mystery. </div><div><br /></div><div>In a real adventure you would customise the table to your needs, with 6 encounters and omens that fit your mystery. In a lovecraftian adventure, you could also roll for an encounter whenever a PC interacts with the mythos (Eg, saying Hastur's name aloud). </div></div><div><br /></div><div><h3>How to write one yourself</h3><div><br /></div><div>One easy way to start is to make a list of the important pieces of information that hold up the mystery. For example:</div><div><br /></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">The Duchess is having an affair with Lady Aubergine</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Lord Smothersberry was smuggling in cocaine through the docks</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Lord Smothersberry was killed by Lady Aubergine in a duel</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">...</span></li></ol><div>Etc, etc. Try to make a list of 6 pieces of important information. Then, create 1 encounter for each piece of information. Each encounter is related to that piece of information in some way.</div></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">The Duchess attempts to destroy any evidence the PC's have gathered (raiding their home base, burning papers, etc)</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Lord Smothersberry's smugglers confront the PC's, attempting to rob or silence them</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Lady Aubergine tracks down the PC's and challenges one of them to a duel.</span></li></ol></div><div>Finally, use this list to create the list of <b>Omens. </b>The omens can just be signs or clues that are relevant to each encounter.</div></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Signs that the Duchess has been here recently.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Signs that the Smugglers have been here recently.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Signs that Lady Aubergine has been here recently.</span></li></ol><div>Etc. It should be pretty quick and simple to write this up for a published adventure, as long as you know the key pieces of information you need. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>The benefit of this approach is that it makes sure your encounters tie in to the core fabric of your mystery - they aren't red herrings or distractions, they are moving the game forward in a meaningful way. You don't have to follow this though - you could also make a list of the core factions or NPC's in your mystery, and make encounters that relate to each one.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><h3>The Benefits</h3></div><div><br /></div><div>I think this does quite a few things elegantly.</div><div><br /></div><h4>1. It makes it feel like the NPC's are actively working towards their goals. </h4><div><br /></div><div>It's easy for a mystery with many moving parts to feel a bit static. The GM has a lot going through their mind. It's tough to think about what all the different NPC's would be thinking and doing while the PC's are investigating.</div><div><br /></div><div>The random encounter table does this for you. You just fill it with entries that represent the NPC's attempting to complete their goals (For example: Lady Blackbeard finally hunts down the amulet of Zorathstra.) It makes the situation feel dynamic and vibrant without needing to spend a ton of work.</div><div><br /></div><h4>2. It creates a time pressure and forces the PC's to make interesting decisions.</h4><div>Again, time pressure is something critically important that can be hard to pull off. If there is no time pressure, there's no tension, and the PC's can spend all the time in the world doing whatever they want.</div><div><br /></div><div>Some mystery adventures have specific timelines - the ritual happens in 3 days, this happens at 11:30, etc. This is handy, but it can easily go off the rails if the PC's go off-script. </div><div><br /></div><div>An encounter roll gives the PC's that feeling of time pressure constantly and easily. Just like a normal dungeon, you should be transparent and open with your PC's about this. "Yes, you can read through that occult tome, but it'll take some time so I'll roll an encounter check. Do you still want to do that?" </div><div><br /></div><div>And as a bonus it adds a nice push-your-luck element, because you also roll if the PC's do anything that is likely to draw attention from the malevolent forces behind the mystery. "Yes, you can infiltrate the mob's speakeasy, but that's likely to draw attention so I'll roll an encounter check. Do you still want to do that?"</div><div><br /></div><div><b>3. It keeps the mystery moving.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>If you run into a situation where your players have hit a dead end and don't know what to do next - that's when you can pull out a random encounter to push things along. </div><div><br /></div><div>All of these encounters should, of course, come with clues that help push the PC's towards the main mystery. The man who comes in firing a gun has been sent by the mob boss. The PC's can interrogate him for information or follow him back to his lair or find evidence on his body. Either way, things are moving. </div><div><br /></div></div><p></p>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13576384742168685922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5198965507306079094.post-24940281198126322652022-10-14T16:00:00.003-07:002022-10-14T16:09:12.106-07:00THIS HAUNTED LAND<p></p><blockquote><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg7ltlQ02JNzboUrcCvtYRwUoNalNmYNdGxzwaym8Z-OjIUjesHoa9vAROcaNozJVkfxGmBrnIkpgKPJFu-ABooCmcg4SDMax_fA4-mz2vM_9hSc-tkj3d3Ko-_QyCSR61XwL4fuLlfN0y4-KfrECbRdFAT_M1_vtrkBZE-hyZWf9r66YDCpSWV84hz" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="350" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg7ltlQ02JNzboUrcCvtYRwUoNalNmYNdGxzwaym8Z-OjIUjesHoa9vAROcaNozJVkfxGmBrnIkpgKPJFu-ABooCmcg4SDMax_fA4-mz2vM_9hSc-tkj3d3Ko-_QyCSR61XwL4fuLlfN0y4-KfrECbRdFAT_M1_vtrkBZE-hyZWf9r66YDCpSWV84hz=w280-h400" width="280" /></a></div><i>Brian Froud.<br /></i></div><p></p></blockquote><blockquote>"<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">What a happiness this must have been seventy or eighty years ago and upwards, to those chosen few who had the good luck to be born on the eve of this festival of all festivals; when the whole earth was so overrun with ghosts, boggles, bloody-bones, spirits, demons, ignis fatui, brownies, bugbears, black dogs, specters, shellycoats, scarecrows, witches, wizards, barguests, Robin-Goodfellows, hags, night-bats, scrags, breaknecks, fantasms, hobgoblins, hobhoulards, boggy-boes, dobbies, hob-thrusts, fetches, kelpies, warlocks, mock-beggars, mum-pokers, Jemmy-burties, urchins, satyrs, pans, fauns, sirens, tritons, centaurs, calcars, nymphs, imps, incubuses, spoorns, men-in-the-oak, hell-wains, fire-drakes, kit-a-can-sticks, Tom-tumblers, melch-dicks, larrs, kitty-witches, hobby-lanthorns, Dick-a-Tuesdays, Elf-fires, Gyl-burnt-tales, knockers, elves, rawheads, Meg-with-the-wads, old-shocks, ouphs, pad-foots, pixies, pictrees, giants, dwarfs, Tom-pokers, tutgots, snapdragons, sprets, spunks, conjurers, thurses, spurns, tantarrabobs, swaithes, tints, tod-lowries, Jack-in-the-Wads, mormos, changelings, redcaps, yeth-hounds, colt-pixies, Tom-thumbs, black-bugs, boggarts, scar-bugs, shag-foals, hodge-pochers, hob-thrushes, bugs, bull-beggars, bygorns, bolls, caddies, bomen, brags, wraiths, waffs, flay-boggarts, fiends, gallytrots, imps, gytrashes, patches, hob-and-lanthorns, gringes, boguests, bonelesses, Peg-powlers, pucks, fays, kidnappers, gallybeggars, hudskins, nickers, madcaps, trolls, robinets, friars' lanthorns, silkies, cauld-lads, death-hearses, goblins, hob-headlesses, bugaboos, kows, or cowes, nickies, nacks [necks], waiths, miffies, buckies, ghouls, sylphs, guests, swarths, freiths, freits, gy-carlins [Gyre-carling], pigmies, chittifaces, nixies, Jinny-burnt-tails, dudmen, hell-hounds, dopple-gangers, boggleboes, bogies, redmen, portunes, grants, hobbits, hobgoblins, brown-men, cowies, dunnies, wirrikows, alholdes, mannikins, follets, korreds, lubberkins, cluricauns, kobolds, leprechauns, kors, mares, korreds, puckles korigans, sylvans, succubuses, blackmen, shadows, banshees, lian-hanshees, clabbernappers, Gabriel-hounds, mawkins, doubles, corpse lights or candles, scrats, mahounds, trows, gnomes, sprites, fates, fiends, sibyls, nicknevins, whitewomen, fairies, thrummy-caps, cutties, and nisses, and apparitions of every shape, make, form, fashion, kind and description, that there was not a village in England that had not its own peculiar ghost.</span><p></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-6635879d-7fff-af74-7a0d-300a94febf79"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nay, every lone tenement, castle, or mansion-house, which could boast of any antiquity had its bogle, its specter, or its knocker. The churches, churchyards, and crossroads were all haunted. Every green lane had its boulder-stone on which an apparition kept watch at night. Every common had its circle of fairies belonging to it. And there was scarcely a shepherd to be met with who had not seen a spirit!"</span></p></span></blockquote><span id="docs-internal-guid-6635879d-7fff-af74-7a0d-300a94febf79"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Source: The Denham Tracts, edited by James Hardy, (London: Folklore Society, 1895), vol. 2, pp. 76-80.</i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm toying with the idea of making an RPG where you play as tiny imps, goblins, bugaboos, pixies, and other chaos-spirits who venture out into the world of men to steal and cause mischief. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiYYY2LNBmdf76a4b7POrRoJ5B7FYQErjn3tTrNBW1o2AgobpGLUNCk-oXfZyWgs3y4hTwN4Gk61FRQonHUe1CjDHy_r_yMTFPo4WoUqtIXXoza7AJKh48CxmMLPdgmNtW2u5jBNlMPjhtn7Ab4CjDdMGTwVq5I-_ICUPhcS_9UCv8Pkq8Mrcn1bOSf" style="font-size: 14.6667px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space: normal;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiYYY2LNBmdf76a4b7POrRoJ5B7FYQErjn3tTrNBW1o2AgobpGLUNCk-oXfZyWgs3y4hTwN4Gk61FRQonHUe1CjDHy_r_yMTFPo4WoUqtIXXoza7AJKh48CxmMLPdgmNtW2u5jBNlMPjhtn7Ab4CjDdMGTwVq5I-_ICUPhcS_9UCv8Pkq8Mrcn1bOSf" style="font-size: 14.6667px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space: normal;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4RMJN-7yict96KsgPOBCeHvmUnFlhLQCXKEzI2-FP5nVycrhw59QroXPFL_IrEg-8LESg9M5uA3L7nJPf3RDdSV9gA3GwxqieXMqHdTxTkcp50IGUOivyUX4pmJfX6QXKCqJ3Obin20TV_gjfmJu8I6WU6YZIZ25cxxWOvdS82vhrzENsFyq_fZ2p" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="540" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4RMJN-7yict96KsgPOBCeHvmUnFlhLQCXKEzI2-FP5nVycrhw59QroXPFL_IrEg-8LESg9M5uA3L7nJPf3RDdSV9gA3GwxqieXMqHdTxTkcp50IGUOivyUX4pmJfX6QXKCqJ3Obin20TV_gjfmJu8I6WU6YZIZ25cxxWOvdS82vhrzENsFyq_fZ2p=w225-h400" width="225" /></a></div></div></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The core mechanics would be heavily inspired by the chunky, toy-ified inventory system in <a href="https://mausritter.com/">Mausritter</a>. You should click that link to read the pay-what-you-want PDF rules if you haven't, the system is fantastic.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdx_xxm4qAc8GYNfsktLvhs38uFdrUIaoSejx80G0_4vGCagVfCaqmIQJXhGELV6f26tV_ls1UwN6djtKI71Fml3t3ejYlOoB61K3L5aGIa3j0cC1Pu7yRjD3neu_yM8qk5GIF5sMQlT1zo1i1BJFrTPptsjRqnqlw2b4RFmxhXG6dZpMZUbYE6geF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="211" data-original-width="518" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdx_xxm4qAc8GYNfsktLvhs38uFdrUIaoSejx80G0_4vGCagVfCaqmIQJXhGELV6f26tV_ls1UwN6djtKI71Fml3t3ejYlOoB61K3L5aGIa3j0cC1Pu7yRjD3neu_yM8qk5GIF5sMQlT1zo1i1BJFrTPptsjRqnqlw2b4RFmxhXG6dZpMZUbYE6geF" width="320" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>Each item is represented by a physical chunk of cardboard that takes up physical space in your inventory. Like in <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/250888/Knave">Knave</a>, your inventory <b>is </b>your character. All the character customisation and everything that makes you a wizard or a thief or a fighter comes from your inventory.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In this game, on top of the normal physical items from Mausritter, your inventory would also hold intangible objects. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sprites can bargain for memories, thoughts and dreams. They can steal away a person's courage or a year of their life. They hoard truth, beauty, and human souls. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">All</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of these things become objects in your inventory. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here's how I'm thinking of doing it:</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJU2_h3U2T9xN_YhKN1SNyXM57QlyiLq4UPOE7DrzbAlacR_wX12xS_SnxQmqyxQWGqu-LXgWuGHSN_OpgeIL3MRAsBEiuBZt0UsmCgk7WHMOYpRK2EcwBKQR082ZV1hEAwZWlaWXhl36EpB5gZfGvvdGmqafILYeZDUgxThKr5_RXttIlHJCcL6bs" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="236" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJU2_h3U2T9xN_YhKN1SNyXM57QlyiLq4UPOE7DrzbAlacR_wX12xS_SnxQmqyxQWGqu-LXgWuGHSN_OpgeIL3MRAsBEiuBZt0UsmCgk7WHMOYpRK2EcwBKQR082ZV1hEAwZWlaWXhl36EpB5gZfGvvdGmqafILYeZDUgxThKr5_RXttIlHJCcL6bs=w225-h400" width="225" /></a></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></div><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">SPELLS ARE CAPTURED SOULS</span></h2><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You can collect souls by making a deal with the living. Sometimes, you can also find them trapped in the corpses of the dead. Spirits typically collect souls in a bottle or some kind of talisman. A normal soul takes up <b>1 slot</b> in your inventory and has <b>3 uses</b>. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Souls are used to cast spells. They work just like spells in </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://losing-games.itch.io/mausritter">Mausritter</a>, which used ideas from</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><a href="https://goblinpunch.blogspot.com/2016/09/the-glog-wizards.html" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Glog</a>.<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> You can mark uses to get Magic Dice, which you use to cast it. The more dice you use, the greater the effect.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To regain uses, you have to do something the soul wants. For example, the first soul here wants you to break promises, leave friends for dead, or betray your allies. If you do anything that fits that description, you can recharge <b>1 use</b>. A particularly big example of doing what the soul wants could recharge more, at the DM's discretion. You can only recharge each soul once per day. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-4f9bbc48-7fff-2e97-79f8-bf18c5fd9de4"><div align="center" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 0pt;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="31"></col><col width="98"></col><col width="213"></col><col width="124"></col><col width="136"></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><br /></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Soul of a:</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Effect</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Personality</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wants you to</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hanged Thief</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Make target invisible for [DICE] turns. Any movement reduces duration by 1 turn.</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Paranoid, secretive, fickle & irresponsible.</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Break promises, leave friends for dead, betray allies</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Forgotten Tyrant</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shoot a fireball up to 24'. Deal [SUM] + [DICE] damage to all creatures within 6'.</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Angry, brutish & insecure.</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Prove your strength, dominate others, gain power.</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Leper Saint</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Heal [SUM] STR damage and remove the</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Injured Condition from the target.</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Self-sacrificing, peaceful, timid & meek.</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sacrifice yourself for others, deny your own needs, submit.</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">4</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Daredevil Acrobat</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Target can walk along walls and ceilings for [SUM] turns.</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cheerful, devil-may-care & egotistical.</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Take unnecessary risks, gamble your life, get attention.</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">5</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Buried Giant</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Grow a creature to [DICE] + 1 times its original size for [SUM] turns.</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nostalgic, slow, thoughtful & depressed</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Preserve history, prevent change, bury ancient artefacts.</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">6</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Doomed Lamplighter</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Create a 20ft cloud of impenetrable darkness for [SUM] turns.</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Despairing, gloomy, hyper-critical & fatalistic. </span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fail dramatically, undertake doomed quests, suffer a terrible fate.</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">7</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Disgraced Detective</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Open a door or container, as if a Save were made with a STR score of 11 + [SUM].</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stubborn, desperate, lawful & uncompromising. </span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Discover the truth, uphold the status quo, punish chaos.</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">8</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Slick Con-man</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cover [SUM]+2' area in slippery, flammable grease. Creatures in the area must make a DEX save or fall prone.</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fast-talking, always has an angle, everyone's a sucker.</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shirk obligations, escape justice, sell snake-oil, cheat and swindle.</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">9</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Corrupt Politician</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The target regards you as a good friend for [SUM] turns.</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Laid-back, charming, boastful and proud.</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Make dangerous deals, get in over your head, hatch cunning schemes.</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">10</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">War-Dog Trainer</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Create an illusory dog that can carry [SUM] inventory slots for [DICE] x 6 turns.</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Blunt, gruff, brutally honest, secretly caring.</span></p></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: middle;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Care for strange and dangerous creatures, take in strays, save captives.</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table>
</div><div align="center" dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 0pt;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; text-align: left; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It's inspired by the skills in <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/632470/Disco_Elysium__The_Final_Cut/">Disco Elysium</a>. In Disco, all of your skills have their own personalities, and they're constantly butting in with their own ideas about what you should be doing. They feel vibrant and noisy in a way I really want to replicate. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; text-align: left; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; text-align: left; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I think this recharge mechanic is an elegant way to make it feel like the souls are whispering to you. In Disco Elysium, the game is constantly making passive checks in the background to see if your skills chime in to interrupt you. But a GM in a tabletop game doesn't have the brain-space to do that.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; text-align: left; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; text-align: left; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tying it to the recharge mechanic puts it in the players hands. They want to recharge their stuff, so they'll always be looking out for opportunities to do something the soul wants. That mimicks the feeling of the soul whispering in your ear and pushing you to commit vile deeds.</span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; text-align: left; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjd-0jUKoehvBtYiIgY9NdYLztyCZwaV4nq4jsh0VrAg1Rdj4uaSSyVwl_zaR48qnA_1rUCSSBC0Cch9f5a5wr9rLLN2MqGL7r4iH6iwn5uhBMFlaydCE4jgg7wlorIGo5rfRJKESl37TPlM-DGC_zsK4xZl6Co2U4dvAHp7fu1RPoAjfK_2yP0M9W1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="787" data-original-width="555" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjd-0jUKoehvBtYiIgY9NdYLztyCZwaV4nq4jsh0VrAg1Rdj4uaSSyVwl_zaR48qnA_1rUCSSBC0Cch9f5a5wr9rLLN2MqGL7r4iH6iwn5uhBMFlaydCE4jgg7wlorIGo5rfRJKESl37TPlM-DGC_zsK4xZl6Co2U4dvAHp7fu1RPoAjfK_2yP0M9W1=w225-h320" width="225" /></a></div><br /><br /></div></div></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><h2 style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">SKILLS ARE STOLEN MEMORIES.</span></h2><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-9ef062fe-7fff-b945-6ddb-efa4344ba7f8"><div dir="ltr" style="font-size: 14.6667px; margin-left: 0pt; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; table-layout: fixed; text-align: center; width: 451.276pt;"><colgroup><col></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-style: solid; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Memory of being lost in the woods. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"Don't worry," your father said. "I'll be back soon."</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Memories can be bargained for, or stolen out of the heads of sleeping humans. A normal memory takes up 1 slot in your inventory and has <b>3 uses</b></span><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whenever you make a check that's relevant to the memory, you can mark <b>1 use</b> to give you <b>advantage </b>to that check. You can also use a memory to give an ally advantage to a check in the same way.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">For example, this <b>memory of being lost in the woods</b> could be used to grant advantage to checks related to <b>survival</b>, <b>nature</b>, or <b>tracking</b>. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">When you first get the memory, you and the GM would collaborate to decide what exactly the memory shows, and what kind of checks it should apply to. It would be an open discussion. The memories would all be deliberately a bit odd to encourage outside-the-box thinking and </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">creative </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">problem solving. Nothing like "Memory of swinging a sword." Instead, things like:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><span id="docs-internal-guid-9ef062fe-7fff-b945-6ddb-efa4344ba7f8"><div dir="ltr" style="font-size: 14.6667px; margin-left: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; table-layout: fixed; text-align: center; width: 451.276pt;"><colgroup><col></col></colgroup><tbody><tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: solid; border-width: 1pt; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Memory of discovering an awful truth. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A hidden letter. A family secret. You never should have opened that door. </span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div></span></div><div style="font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br style="font-size: 14.6667px;" /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">In this way the inventory system also acts as a simple skill system. Whether your character is a skilled tracker, pickpocket, social manipulator, etc - you can customise all these things based on what memories you have in your inventory. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm not sure memories should recharge during downtime, or if they should just be gone for good once they're used up. Perhaps you would need to re-enact the memory in some way to recharge it. </span></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><h2 style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">HEALTH AND RIOTING</span></h2><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You start out </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">with d6 HP </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">at level 1. </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Once your HP is depleted, your items start taking damage. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Each item can soak 1 damage per slot it takes up. So, a 2 slot item can take 2 damage. You always choose which items soak the hit. If you take damage and you have no items left to soak with, you die.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm imagining you flip the items over to show that they're damaged. Inspired by the board game <a href="https://ledergames.com/products/root-a-game-of-woodland-might-and-right">Root</a>. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEht925VmEMG6vh1-UB7v9WMrztzICBhd4kCGAV6loZnrhRMnu3wekz0GkQJCHMlwrtHlDjt7UsZ1KKjUFgwe1127maQS_J1sMEfwZU4EW5_s5F1JNYs1KsCmnbcnWCV4rMxYma9eooNnapG1zhY-oKDz0Xqa_zhFfOz7Rm8TL8ju-uWxLJkoTe2SRCz" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="126" data-original-width="260" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEht925VmEMG6vh1-UB7v9WMrztzICBhd4kCGAV6loZnrhRMnu3wekz0GkQJCHMlwrtHlDjt7UsZ1KKjUFgwe1127maQS_J1sMEfwZU4EW5_s5F1JNYs1KsCmnbcnWCV4rMxYma9eooNnapG1zhY-oKDz0Xqa_zhFfOz7Rm8TL8ju-uWxLJkoTe2SRCz=w320-h155" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Your items are stored in up to 12 inventory slots labelled 1-12. Whenever you damage your items, you roll a d12. If it hits the number of a slot that holds a damaged item, that item <b>riots. </b>It goes out of your control and starts acting against you.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There would be a whole table for this in the final rules. Souls could fire off randomly, or take possession of you and begin forcing you to do things. You could become trapped in a memory and unable to tell what's real. Weapons could misfire, items could fall out of your pack and roll away from you. Etc etc. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Your inventory should feel loud, vibrant, chaotic. Always whispering to you as you play. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">HP would be very easy to heal - A short rest of a few minutes would heal d6+1 HP. Inventory damage would be your "Meat damage", more serious and hard to recover. Perhaps a long rest would heal d6 slots worth of items, or possibly you'd need to head back to a friendly goblin town to repair. </span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEisI51i36-qatrbadrAh0iO6aMZFM_XgO0E20Io8zTkx6B7AdCoBRQMVFs_t-y_OVyIg4Ls2r0JDl8NfSUsJrIpbx0zQC23-1lFOw7WTEh4emq5TFk0XknIZtCGFMhlinh4uOhltYJwwp2XcaGi1GaYSSB00_gFL51n1-ndiTo8cwPYa0B0G1znDC-2" style="font-size: 14.6667px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="700" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEisI51i36-qatrbadrAh0iO6aMZFM_XgO0E20Io8zTkx6B7AdCoBRQMVFs_t-y_OVyIg4Ls2r0JDl8NfSUsJrIpbx0zQC23-1lFOw7WTEh4emq5TFk0XknIZtCGFMhlinh4uOhltYJwwp2XcaGi1GaYSSB00_gFL51n1-ndiTo8cwPYa0B0G1znDC-2=w270-h400" width="270" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">AND MORE</span></h2><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm imagining a huge variety of items which would act a bit like Feats, GLOG templates, or special abilities in other games. Possible options include:</span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Stolen Beauty: </b>Mark 1 use to gain Advantage on a reaction roll (roll 3d6 and take the highest 2 dice).</span></li><li><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Stolen Voice: </b>You have stolen someone's voice. Mark 1 use to mimic their voice perfectly for an hour. You can pass yourself off as that person with a successful Charisma check. </span></li><li><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Bottled Luck: </b>Mark 1 use to re-roll a natural 1 from you or an ally.</span></li><li><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Dream of Falling: </b>Mark 1 use to cancel all damage from a fall. </span></li></ul><div><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm thinking abilities like this would be fairly rare, something you only get after a major milestone or quest. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Potentially you could even increase your basic stats with items like this, like "<b>Stolen Strength: </b>+1 STR". If I went down this route, I could replace levelling up completely with the inventory system. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gaining a level could simply give you +1 or +2 inventory slots (which would also, elegantly, give you more health and survivability). All the other aspects of levelling up like increasing your stats, getting more skills, gaining special abilities, etc - it would all be done with items. I'm very tempted by this idea.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The neat thing about this is that it puts the character customisation choices <b>in the game</b> <b>itself</b>, rather than in choices made outside the game. If you want to be strong, you have to hunt down a strong person and steal their strength. It's not a matter of choosing a specific feat in-between sessions, or making a choice in character creation. It's a choice that you made and carried out in the game world.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">MONEY</span></h2></div><div><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Potentially the Spirit currency could be </span><b style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">years. </b><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Each coin represents 1 year of your life. If you lose your last coin, you are fated to die within the next 2d10 days. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">But, I equally like the idea of focusing on a barter system with no currency at all, to move away from standard D&D money systems. Needs more thought.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div style="font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">APPENDIX N</span></h2></div><div style="font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">This system was partially inspired by the GLOG hack </span><a href="https://oblidisideryptch.blogspot.com/2020/05/bones-glog-hack.html" style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">BONES</a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">.As I was writing it, I was also surprised to see this post on <a href="https://moondoggospel.blogspot.com/2022/10/mental-encumbrance.html">Mental Encumbrance</a> pop up. I guess great minds think alike.</span></div><div style="font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Both BONES and the Mental Encumbrance idea have separate inventories for your <b>physical items</b> and your <b>mental items</b> (I.E. Spells, skills, and intangible notions). I experimented with this idea a bit but in practice, I found it wasn't giving me the tough choices I wanted. I found I could carry heavy weapons and armour in my physical inventory, and also carry a ton of spells in my mental inventory. I didn't have to choose between them as much.</span></div><div style="font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I like the idea of having all these things take up the same inventory. It's simpler, and forces you to make more interesting choices. </span></div><div style="font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span></div><div><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">TO BE CONTINUED!?</span></h2></div><div><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">I have a lot more ideas about the overall structure. Basically, the game would be focused around factions. Each faction would come with a list of unique items which you could either steal from them, or gain as quest rewards. You would work with or against these factions to earn unique items and improve your character. But I'll have to elaborate further in another post.</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm not sure how far I'll go in developing this idea, but I'm interested to hear what people think. Let me know if you have any feedback or ideas in the comments.</div><div><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span></div><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-9ef062fe-7fff-b945-6ddb-efa4344ba7f8"></span></div></span></div></span>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13576384742168685922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5198965507306079094.post-85254060534927611432022-10-11T01:54:00.000-07:002022-10-11T01:54:20.788-07:00Goblin Knave: Tactician<p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVtmZlxoCvUaMv-y-f9FxSx3ifoXk8XdX9GlMyEzBB8iP_LRDYiUE2LddA-rnGIurAtGz8-uK401tKQISqpoahN5iybfxINIuxHxd9hvjhbDQyPr-4Y-ckwDwego8F-oBuffg7i0p5P7sG-Nx1M7X-aeH49Du8XY6RJP33GCyjrnOrWv4w-LxDnO9H=s1280" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVtmZlxoCvUaMv-y-f9FxSx3ifoXk8XdX9GlMyEzBB8iP_LRDYiUE2LddA-rnGIurAtGz8-uK401tKQISqpoahN5iybfxINIuxHxd9hvjhbDQyPr-4Y-ckwDwego8F-oBuffg7i0p5P7sG-Nx1M7X-aeH49Du8XY6RJP33GCyjrnOrWv4w-LxDnO9H=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="text-align: center;">A martial support class for </span><a href="http://rottenpulp.blogspot.com/search/label/Goblin%20Knave" style="text-align: center;">Goblin Knave</a><span style="text-align: center;"> today! </span><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1k1bfcCW4qCbm70RrOZ0_hUXdm4VEHLQmm5nLqSrezpQ/edit?usp=sharing" style="text-align: center;">Click here for the class.</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div></div><h4 style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1k1bfcCW4qCbm70RrOZ0_hUXdm4VEHLQmm5nLqSrezpQ/edit?usp=sharing">THE TACTICAN</a></h4><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Complexity: </b>Medium.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Suggested Ability Scores: </b>Charisma, Strength.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Playstyle: </b>Full support.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div><span><a name='more'></a><br /></span></div></div><div><span>I'm really in love with this one because I love the full support role. The tactician is a fully martial support which is a bit unusual in D&D. It's all about hanging back and supporting the team until it's time to strike. </span></div><div><br /></div><div>The reputation of course ties into all those classic wise mentor tropes, making this class perfect for the obi-wan kenobi or uncle iroh of your campaign. Huge inspiration owed to <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/UnearthedArcana/comments/mydlbp/the_mentor_30_unleash_your_inner_irohmiyagikenobi/">The Mentor</a> for 5e for this one, and for a lot of the abilities.</div><div><br /></div><div>It can be hard for supportive characters to feel active and engaged. I think the way this role works should hopefully make you feel super involved with the rest of the table. Whenever someone else is taking an action, you can be involved to support and improve that action. </div>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13576384742168685922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5198965507306079094.post-59664766475231311902022-06-19T03:11:00.001-07:002022-06-19T03:13:17.763-07:00The Last Pirates - A murder mystery <p style="text-align: center;"> <img height="362" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/FO6yDE4GIyP3GIrVNmxg4EJCtNHLdLYZzcmNbUgU6sbJtNMPWf990AoFyik9PZzF0FZ7cjjmP53-bc_cHke_uiOdHT66DrcwOQdiAdnsesioORDNjt-7Xl9slZhnldLJb4wkvkQg91uJTpHnGA=w640-h362" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="640" /></p><p style="text-align: left;">Blackeard is dead, and the golden age of piracy dies with him! Will you take the King's Pardon, and live a life of safety? Or fight and die as a free pirate?</p><p style="text-align: left;">This is a free murder mystery party game you can run from your very own home. The game acommodates 10-20 players (plus 1 game master) and takes 2 and a half hours to run. Here's the blurb:</p><p></p><blockquote><p>The Pirate King has come to an end at last - not in a bloody shipside battle, but by murder most foul. Before his death, he boasted about having a map to his famous treasure haul. Whoever committed the murder must have taken the map. If you can figure out who it is, you'll have the key to the treasure of a lifetime…</p><p>The Last Pirates is a social, conversation-based game. You will be given a character sheet that explains your character and what information you know. Each character will have their own goals, on top of the main murder mystery. You'll need to take on the role of your character and talk to the other players to discover enough information to solve the mystery and achieve your goals. The other members of your crew, and the Game Masters (GM's), will be there to help you. </p></blockquote><p><a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1bUOZqYK2G9VVTWFJGPDN1t53fl0CSNbo?usp=sharing"><b>Download all files here.</b></a></p><p>Read the Player Brief first, then the GM Brief if you plan to run the game.</p><p>The game features:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Trading, negotiation, haggling and skulduggery. </b></li><li><b>Truth and Gold, </b>a gambling minigame that pushes players to wager secrets.</li><li><b>A non-scripted, sandbox</b> style approach. Players are free to pursue their own goals however they wish. </li><li>Teams! Players are split into <b>pirate crews</b>. This helps give new players direction and makes sure everyone feels included. </li><li><b>Entry-level complexity. </b>Each character has a simple 1 page bio. The rules are all as simple and easy to understand as we could make them. We had great success running this for people who have never tried a murder mystery or larp before.</li><li>No combat mechanics - every player will be in the game 'till the finale. But there is the <b>Black Spot </b>to cause some drama. </li></ul><div>The core murder is deliberately quite tough to solve, but all characters have multiple other goals aside from the main murder. Everyone should be taken up with wheeling, dealing, secrets and negotiation. </div><p></p><p>This game was written by myself and Jack Peereboom. The Last Pirates was heavily inspired by <a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/226616/Blackened-Hearts" style="font-weight: bold;">Blackened Hearts</a>,<b> </b>which I highly recommend you pick up on DriveThru RPG.</p><p>If you end up running the game, or if you have any questions or feedback, please let me know! </p>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13576384742168685922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5198965507306079094.post-62675778354965958832022-03-22T17:53:00.005-07:002022-03-22T17:56:41.890-07:00Goblin Knave: Wizard<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgpDM1E5SKWVoIyxHcuy25bQjZaEf9qBDYmDcDBh_ATB9TZ1iqgns1OpqQWWhOc0iURLuiHrE0FBIRE9wHHzRiE1LdDtwXNo2e9y6_cq3te763WBnWr-WJEJmTsb2MgnOIklSm3wiQbZLp6o3upmZP6pXbp1IIAvfXP2GqWpXZ1HgW_6cESOHbnCGZS=s1280" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgpDM1E5SKWVoIyxHcuy25bQjZaEf9qBDYmDcDBh_ATB9TZ1iqgns1OpqQWWhOc0iURLuiHrE0FBIRE9wHHzRiE1LdDtwXNo2e9y6_cq3te763WBnWr-WJEJmTsb2MgnOIklSm3wiQbZLp6o3upmZP6pXbp1IIAvfXP2GqWpXZ1HgW_6cESOHbnCGZS=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">My first wizard for <a href="http://rottenpulp.blogspot.com/search/label/Goblin%20Knave">Goblin Knave</a> today! <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Xf86n8FQ8pcY_UDCIpEeZwz6O1WwOjo7DeFZgz3wA1s/edit?usp=sharing">Click here for the class.</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div></div><h4 style="clear: both;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Xf86n8FQ8pcY_UDCIpEeZwz6O1WwOjo7DeFZgz3wA1s/edit?usp=sharing">THE WIZARD</a></h4><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Complexity: </b>High.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Suggested Ability Scores: </b>Intelligence, Wisdom.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Playstyle: </b>Spellcasting, utility and support.</div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div><span><a name='more'></a></span></div><p>This is a classic wizard. You don't hold with any of that modern nonsense - the classics will do just fine. I tried to stick close to the iconic wizard spells and a general feeling of sage-y-ness. </p><p>A huge debt is owed to <a href="https://caput-caprae.blogspot.com/2020/05/glog-class-og-wizard-aka-sage.html">the sage</a> by Caput Capraem, and I used some wording from <a href="https://twogoblinsinatrenchcoat.blogspot.com/2019/04/a-conduit-for-poor-decisions-glog.html">here</a>.</p><p>Sadly I was unable to cut down the volume of stuff required for a wizard class and as such this class is <b>two pages </b>larger than any other class, at 4 pages in total! The weight of those two extra pages presses down upon my chest like the black dog itself.</p><p>That said, I'm happy that the whole wizard class and spell list can be handed to a player with just 2 sheets of paper, even including a reminder of how Magic Dice works. Very nice and easy to use at the table, especially if you're rolling up a new random character or introducing a new player.</p><h4 style="clear: both; text-align: center;">VARIANT: OBJECTS OF POWER</h4><div><br /></div><div>I decided not to use this idea myself after testing but I might as well include it here for people who might be interested. This is an idea for KNAVE spellcasting - to fit with the inventory management part of that game. If you're using the knave rules you can use this to replace spellbooks in that system. </div><p>Objects of Power can be anything. They are often carved with sigils and runes, blessed, or infused with magical power. Each Object of Power holds 1 spell, and takes up 1 inventory slot. You need 1 Object of Power for each spell you know. You can roll on this table to figure out what the Object of Power is for each spell.</p><div><b>Objects of Power</b></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Scroll or small spellbook</li><li>Wand</li><li>Small human effigy. Could be made of cloth, clay, or sticks. </li><li>Hand of Glory (Pickled left hand from a hanged murderer)</li><li>Ornate rusted compass, lantern, skeleton key or other old item</li><li>A relic like a Saint's fingerbone or a bottle of soil from a Saint's grave</li><li>Carved stone idol</li><li>Witch stone (AKA Adder Stone or Snake Egg, a glassy stone with a hole through it)</li><li>Witch bottle (Salt-glazed stoneware jug with rosemary, needles and red wine)</li><li>Runestone</li><li>Carnelian flame (A red gemstone in the shape of a flame)</li><li>Charon's Obol (A penny for the ferryman)</li><li>Silver mirror</li><li>Cherished keepsake or reminder of your past</li><li>Smoking pipe</li><li>Animal body part (like a lucky rabbit's foot, a rat's skull carved with sigils, etc)</li><li>Seal of Solomon (an amulet or scroll bearing a hexagram shape)</li><li>Large bracelet of intertwined snakes</li><li>A bag of ingredients, mushrooms and powders</li><li>Gris-gris (A small cloth bag inscribed with verses from one of your ancestors)</li></ol><div>The shape of the object is often connected to the spell it casts. For example, the Knock spell might be an ornate skeleton key. It should be something that fits your personal style of spellcasting. It could even be a small living animal like a rat, bat or toad. </div><div><br /></div><div>Some powerful magic-users know how to make weapons, armour or other items into objects of power. You would need to track them down to learn this power.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Each time you learn a spell, you can create 1 new object of power. It can be anything. The spell animates and lives inside the object of power, a semi-sentient spirit or force. You can cast the spell for as long as you hold the object of power. If you lose it or it's destroyed, you lose the ability to cast that spell. Objects of Power are usually extremely durable and hard to destroy. </div><div><br /></div><div>If you steal an Object Of Power from someone and you have magic dice, you can cast the spell inside it as normal. You don't inherently know what the spell is so you may need some experimentation to figure it out.</div><div><br /></div><div>If you <b>don't </b>have magic dice (because you're not a magical class) you can still cast the spell from the Object of Power with 1 free magic dice. If you do this, the spell is released and used up forever. The object falls silent and may crack or fall apart, it's animating force gone.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>One round of close examination (touching, sniffing) allows you to tell if something is an Object of Power, or magical in any way. 10 minutes of close examination allows you to make an Intelligence check to learn more about it.</div></div>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13576384742168685922noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5198965507306079094.post-5435665885304444742022-03-20T05:12:00.008-07:002022-03-20T05:33:31.932-07:00ENTITY 03: CONTAMINANT<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiiQsy7OGxYTDY9R-Zac6JFKegwsaWmMPbPwd9PYL78WdJQSdhRNjSSFcTTwN_tBorFu9rmCv71c-bMy6cQkhpQN6MH9EcOQ3otXq2grcv9jaqR5Fuhouke4kjn3P5PTKw7Ci2oXLb3riXEuBiNUfo6Q0YrXngDX92AclVXBz55dC64zNp19rkcFzA9=s1067" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1048" data-original-width="1067" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiiQsy7OGxYTDY9R-Zac6JFKegwsaWmMPbPwd9PYL78WdJQSdhRNjSSFcTTwN_tBorFu9rmCv71c-bMy6cQkhpQN6MH9EcOQ3otXq2grcv9jaqR5Fuhouke4kjn3P5PTKw7Ci2oXLb3riXEuBiNUfo6Q0YrXngDX92AclVXBz55dC64zNp19rkcFzA9=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><p></p><div>The closer you get to it, the more you degrade. Your vision splits and blurs and corrodes. A fever breaks out in you. You go hot and cold. Your hands grow weak and sweaty. Your eyes grow red. You can't stop crying. You feel like a bag of broken glass. You cough up blood. Black spots growing cancerously through your sight. Your hearing pops and crackles, becomes distant and muffled, until finally you can hear nothing at all. Your legs give out underneath you. Everything feels slick under your touch, like your fingertips themselves are sloughing away. </div><div><div><br /></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div>When you are finally in its presence, you go completely blind and deaf. You have to grope your way across the floor. The heat of it burns on your skin like a tanning lamp, so you can always tell where it is. You think you can see an ultraviolet outline of it, burned into your retinas, even with your eyelids shut. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>It stumbles across the floor in a way that feels sickeningly human. Like a newborn baby. In fact, don't you hear sounds coming from it, through the silence? Gasps and small sentence fragments, like the voice of a child? Perhaps it's just another hallucination. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOAxOpMUMG7trmpXorveBNFyQ5XrC_Hc3X6jVOxZ6k675O6IN-cI15x8EODkjyk2wtv4tidHdcxq5g0cvNj-9_iReLHGciqPa42ohMZi0DY13BF8SAVXUv_61m58xraY534PlMbWAwvrQ/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="521" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOAxOpMUMG7trmpXorveBNFyQ5XrC_Hc3X6jVOxZ6k675O6IN-cI15x8EODkjyk2wtv4tidHdcxq5g0cvNj-9_iReLHGciqPa42ohMZi0DY13BF8SAVXUv_61m58xraY534PlMbWAwvrQ/" width="192" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>No-one knows where they come from, but of course there are theories. Some say they were children used for teleportation experiments. Others say they're time-travellers. They were sent back to warn us before it's too late. But it has always been too late. Their machines did not do enough to shield them from the howling void outside of space and time. As they made the voyage, they were shredded apart on a molecular level. They became Outside Contaminants.</div><div><br /></div><div>They are painfully, eternally lonely. They stumble and crawl towards any human they can find, mewling. Maybe they're still trying to warn us. They seem pathetically desparate for human contact of any kind. When a Contaminant manages to corner a human target, it will curl up with them and shiver, rubbing itself against them like a house cat. The Contaminant will continue to rub itself against them, long after they have died. You may think you hear garbled pieces of gibberish as it attempts to talk to them.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZgAH7NZJDh5TlMKK0F_m-iUoQ_PCylyMxBM5rrdiVRs7QJuItHJO64tUNSux1pAOEEUdu3bJLYc1o2g0X5MweLwuWOGAElZ04CFOCWdv66bDhyWrptZchyhNg66m6lhx_Ig8qRfbdo_Nkcj4LM1Ar_VWAOwHEw-UslgEROeXazHBqYJOAC5F9aag4=s2500" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2500" data-original-width="1667" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZgAH7NZJDh5TlMKK0F_m-iUoQ_PCylyMxBM5rrdiVRs7QJuItHJO64tUNSux1pAOEEUdu3bJLYc1o2g0X5MweLwuWOGAElZ04CFOCWdv66bDhyWrptZchyhNg66m6lhx_Ig8qRfbdo_Nkcj4LM1Ar_VWAOwHEw-UslgEROeXazHBqYJOAC5F9aag4=s320" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It is slow, and stumbling. But the closer it gets to you, the slower you become. Eventually it can easily catch up to you. If it touches you, it is already too late. Your organs have begun to shut down.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you manage to escape, you will slowly recover. Your eyesight and hearing come back and get better and better the further you are away from it. You will eventually regain full mobility, but you will always feel more tired. Your bones will ache on cold nights. Your eyesight feels blurry and streaky. The parts of your body it grew closest too will always feel hot and sunburned. You don't know it yet, but you have lost 1 year off your lifespan for every minute you spent in its presence. </div><br /></div><div><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, "ヒラギノ角ゴ Pro W3", "Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro", メイリオ, Meiryo, "MS Pゴシック", Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"" style="background-color: white; color: #211922; font-size: 12px;"><br /></span></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>ENTITY 03: CONTAMINANT</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Danger: </b>High.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>Number Appearing: </b>1 - 2.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>AC: </b>12. <b>HD: </b>2.<br /><b>Speed: </b>1/2 unencumbered human.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">As you get closer to the Contaminant, your corrosion level increases. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>When you are in the same area as the Contaminant (like the same building), your vision feels blurry. You get a fever. Your hearing grows dim.</li><li>When you are only a few rooms away from the Contaminant, you begin to cough up blood. Black spots grow across your vision. You shake all over. You have disadvantage on all checks. Your movement speed slows to 1/2 your normal speed.</li><li>When you are in the same room as the Contaminant, you go completely blind and deaf. Your legs give out and you must crawl. You feel weak. All dice you use go down 1 size (All d20's become d12's, d12's become d10's, etc). Your movement slows to 1/4th of your normal speed. </li><li>If the Contaminant touches you, your organs begin to shut down. You permanently lose 1/10th of your maximum HP every round. (If your maximum HP is 100, you would lose 10, then 9, then 8, etc). Your movement slows to 1 square per round. All dice go down 1 more size. </li></ol><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Killing the Contaminant does not stop the contamination. If you are in the presence of its corpse, you will continue to corrode. Wearing a hazmat suit will reduce the corrosion effect by 1 level. More protection on top of that (Like extra shielding, etc) may reduce the corrosion effect by another level.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>BEHAVIOR:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The Contaminant is slow, and blind. It will not run after you. It is easily distracted. It will pause whenever it sees artefacts of human culture (TV ads, jingles, billboards, magazines, old photographs, etc). These things can keep it in a trance for a short while. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Directors commentary: </b>I would put this in a large dungeon or wilderness area as a moving exclusion zone. As it wanders through the dungeon, it cuts off certain pathways and pushes the PC's to consider alternate routes. If the PC's are making a "milk run" in a safe path through the dungeon, this thing can make them to reconsider their plans or push them into travelling through areas they would normally avoid. It makes sure the place always feels alive and dangerous.</div></div></div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Contaminants are sometimes contained by government entities. Other times, they be used as guards for top-secret facilities or underground bases. Disposable agents in hazmat suits lure them into containment pods using human artefacts. Then they are let loose in the wilderness around the black site to keep out prying eyes. You may hear rumours of one lurking in the woods, or haunting an abandoned shopping mall, endlessly watching the ads on repeat. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, "ヒラギノ角ゴ Pro W3", "Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro", メイリオ, Meiryo, "MS Pゴシック", Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"" style="background-color: white; color: #211922; font-size: 12px;"><b>Image credit:</b> Eoin Mc Hugh | the ground itself is kind, black butter, 2014 black sheepskin, wax, steel, and mixed media 224 x 122 x 190 cm / 88.2 x 48 x 74.8 in</span></div></div><div><div><div class="KO4 zI7 iyn Hsu" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #211922; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, "ヒラギノ角ゴ Pro W3", "Hiragino Kaku Gothic Pro", メイリオ, Meiryo, "MS Pゴシック", Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; font-size: 12px; margin-top: 16px;"><div class="zI7 iyn Hsu" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="XiG wYR wfr z4_ zI7 iyn Hsu" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: -8px; margin-right: -8px; padding-left: 8px; padding-right: 8px; position: relative;"></div></div></div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-5XPLsZB910T3BTZ1kVA4MOXExkSkEd84LNPTruC4RaYDKzjH6aUwr7LftA3n91gfp0zAKZ-FvU2SSiMGphPNlv53cSps0HyWvNk07-oObRgSb013LNM8vc4fShR8HK7rA6ocZpOoaro/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"></a></div></div>Jackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13576384742168685922noreply@blogger.com0